Music in West African churches
It has been estimated that some twenty million Africans have become Christians; more than the total number of Christians in all the countries of Asia. This great movement towards Christianity is undoubtedly due largely to the breakdown of traditional African ways of life. In West Africa Islam also has profited by the change to extend its sway, especially in Northern Nigeria and parallel territories but hardly at all in Eastern Nigeria or the lower Gold Coast. The importance of music in African religious life is widely recognised, but this now needs to be considered in its modern forms and in the new religions which have largely replaced the old. It is curious that Islam, which bans all music in the mosque, should be so successful. But outside the mosque Muslims are notorious for their festivals and dances, and these have a great popular appeal. A full study of modern African Muslim music needs yet to be made.
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304554527_Music_in_West_African_churches
The drum and its significance for the interpretation of the Old Testament from an African perspective: Part two
Allowing the (South) African context to inform the construction and enhancement of the comparative paradigm as a reading strategy for the interpretation of the Old Testament enables one to identify and appreciate aspects of significance for the contemporary reader, relating to the interpretation of the text. Bearing in mind the importance of music and its function regarding religious expression, various aspects pertaining to the function and significance of music are being explored in order to enrich the interpretation of Psalm 150, with specific reference to music and musical instruments. (Whilst the focus in Part one [Oosthuizen 2016] is more on some hermeneutical aspects as pertaining to a specific reading strategy, Part two explores the significance of music for the interpretation of the Old Testament from an African perspective with specific reference to the drum and its usage in Psalm 150). Music enables one to comprehend and articulate a very particular aspect of religious experience, and it is of the utmost importance that this be acknowledged and taken into account in the current debate regarding appropriate strategies for the interpretation of religious texts in an African context. Three aspects serve to illustrate how the comparative approach can be augmented by drawing attention to aspects of particular interest for an African reading of the Old Testament: �music as space to encounter the divine�, the infectious nature of music, and �drumming� as a point of contact between the Old Testament and Africa.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In our encounters with the biblical text, the (South-) African context can inform a comparative reading of the Old Testament. In so doing, the �comparative paradigm� is augmented by allowing insights from various disciplines to inform the reader and to apprise a reading strategy that allows for the encounter with the text to be understood not merely in terms of a historical-descriptive or linguistic exercise only, but provides an opportunity to explore various perspectives pertaining to the appreciation and interpretation of the text (Psalm 150).
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Divinities and ancestors in encounter with Christianity: in the experience and religious history of the early Irish and the Akan people of Ghana
An initial interest in understanding the surviving traditions relating to the pan-celtic divinity Lugh in his Irish guise, and some personal aquaintance with West Africa suggested this comparative study. I soon found that the institution of the Akan traditional chieftaincy, still functioning as integral to the socio-religious identity of the modern Akan people of Ghana, provided illuminating insights into the paradigmatic role of Lugh in relation to early Irish sacral kingship. Although early mediaeval Ireland and 19th and 20th century Gold Coast, now Ghana, are divided both in historical time and geographical space, other similarities in the "Universe of meaning" proper to each culture emerged during the study of their own specific 'encounters with Christianity'. Chap.l first introduces Lugh through the Irish tale Cath Maige Tuired, and then the Akan, both in their historical and geographical context and, tentatively, through varied clues, within their world of meaning and selfunderstanding. Chap.2 has two parts: Early Encounters with Christianity among the Irish and the Akan and Encounter as Confrontation Chap.3 is a comparative study of the Sacral ruler in 4 parts: covering (a) the relationship of kinship to kingship; (b) the sacral ruler in theory and in action; (c) the myth/ritual conveying, enacting, and authenticating the union with the 'transcendent power' informing sacral rule, (centering on Baile in Scciil the other main Lugh source)' and (d) The Festival of Lughnasa and Akan Odwira, each celebrating both Harvest and the centripetal function of kingship. Chap.4 explores and compares the presence and importance of the Female Principle for both, and Chap. 5 collates the main conclusions of the study. Although Early Irish society was essentially aristocratic and the Akan a gerontocracy, the parallels are remarkable. The material in Chap.2 reveals the tension experienced by both peoples between a recognition of being on "familiar ground" as the judaic/christian scriptures were opened up, and the inevitable confrontation between the demands of the "new faith" and ancient ritual patterns and allegiances, the latter becoming acute in relation to the traditional sacral rulers.. The manifold similarities discovered during research for Chap.3 are mutually illuminating, suggesting conclusions which go beyond the remit of this particular comparative study. Chap.4 shows the essential presence of the 'female principle' in the religio-social experience and history (especially in relation to the sacral kingship and its authority) of the matrilineal Akan, and the early Irish, the one mainly imaged as mother and the other mainly as bride/wife. In the consciousness of both, she is the Spirit of the Earth, and a source of wisdom and guardian of truth. There are some signs that the marginalisation of female power, both cosmic and terrestrial, may have preceded, as well as accompanying, the encounter with Christianity in both cultures.
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328628920_Divinities_and_ancestors_in_encounter_with_Christianity_in_the_experience_and_religious_history_of_the_early_Irish_and_the_Akan_people_of_Ghana
‘Brothers 30,000, sisters 20,000; nephews 15,000, nieces 10,000’: Akan funeral ledgers’ kinship and value negotiations, and their limits
Article in Ethnography 11(3):381-408 · August 2010 Stefano Boni
This article compares indigenous conceptualizations, as expressed in ledgers recording the collection of funeral offerings, with academic knowledge on kinship and value negotiation in the Akan area of West Africa. Donors are inserted in social circuits defining their residential belonging (in villages and households), parental affiliation (with specific offerings for matrilineal kin, patrilateral kin and in-laws), as well as gender and seniority. Funeral offerings, moreover, vary proportionally to value: the amount provided by the donor expresses his/her value and the total cost of the funeral indicates the value of the deceased and of her/his family. The intricacies of mortuary offerings — expressed through elaborate calculations — reveal shared and structured taxonomies that enable affirming and negotiating the value of the deceased and that of the donor as well as the relation between donor and deceased. Anthropological theories and definitions are confronted with these locally elaborated representations.
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Traditional Mourning Dress of the Akans of Ghana
A diachronic/synchronic study was conducted to identify the typical traditional mourning dress of Akans of Ghana and their symbolic meanings. Nine old men and women were interviewed for primary data. Sources of secondary data were books, students' research reports, journals, and information from the internet. The findings revealed that typical Akan mourning dress included kuntunkuni, kobene, brisi, adinkra, koogyan, nkrawo abotire, a yellow or red loincloth, necklaces of seeds, tiny snail shells, hide, ayisaado, wreaths of leaves, straw bands, native or rubber sandals, and black and red body painting. The nature of death, age, character, and status of the deceased or the bereaved and physical and mental characteristics of the deceased prior to death determined what to wear at funerals. Conclusions drawn were that mourning dress was used to honour the dead, control the behaviour of the living, and direct support to the right people.
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