Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 38:3 (Summer 2024)
Article: Lady Wisdom And The Akan Queen Mother: Models For The Akan Christian Woman
Author: Rudolf K. Gaisie

PP 38:3 (Summer 2024) p. 16

Lady Wisdom And The Akan Queen Mother: Models For The Akan Christian Woman

Rudolf K. Gaisie

Rudolf K. Gaisie (PhD) is a senior research fellow at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Ghana. He is director of the Institute’s Andrew F. Walls Centre for the Study of Early African Christianity and is a fellow at the Center for Early African Christianity, USA.

Nyansa (“wisdom”) among the Akan people of Ghana is a virtue that one is expected to possess for the good of the family and community. Akan proverbs or sayings do not personify nyansa, but the effects of its presence or absence are evident.

The Akan community functions along matrilineal lines attesting to the implied power of women, even though leadership roles are dominated by males. The highest office is that of the king (ↄhene), but he rules largely under the auspices of women, from his right to the throne, his nomination to it, and his presentation to the community. The wisdom of women has a large stake in determining who becomes king and therefore has implications for the peace and harmony of the community.

How may an Akan respond to the feminine personification of nyansa in the book of Proverbs? This essay attempts an Akan reading of the personification of wisdom in Proverbs, first using selected positive indigenous proverbs, followed by the role and function of the Akan queen mother.

Proverbs, Wisdom, And The Queen (Mother) In Akan Traditional Thought

The Akan language, Twi, is widely spoken in Ghana, even among non-ethnic Akan. It is one of the first to have a grammar book through the labours of Christian missionary activities and, consequently, the earliest to have a Bible translation. Traditional Akan institutions and practices are conspicuous components of Ghanaian culture, predominantly within the Asante tribe.1 The Akan culture is rich in proverbs and in symbols such as the Adinkra and Kente textile weave patterns. The Akan proverbs used in this article are primarily in Asante Twi.

Akan proverbs are reflective of life experiences. Social stratification among communities means that proverbs are not devoid of biases. However, when concisely captured as reflective of a shared experience of reality, a proverb is accepted by all. Proverbs are usually attributed to the elders of a society, who are largely men, and represent the “accumulated wisdom and experiences of past generations.”2 Among the Akan, for example, stating a proverb is usually prefixed with the phrase, “the ancestors/elders say” (nananom/mpanyinfo se). Sometimes a proverb is attribute...