Afua Kuma

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Recommended: Beliefs of African traditional religion

In this paper I discuss the praise prayers excerpt of Afua Kuma, an African, within the view that beliefs emerge and are “enfolded within practices, things and feelings that shape individuals and communities over time” (Morgan 2012: xiv). Expounding on this statement, Idowu in his book about African Traditional Religion makes a point that a person knows as much he or she is exposed to and as much as is given to him to know, and he or she expresses his or her beliefs accordingly. These beliefs are revealed through their everyday actions, emotions and thought processes and consequently, influence the person and the all-inclusive community. Specifically, I discuss Afua Kuma’s belief in the Supreme Being, her understanding of the concept of Jesus Christ as a Chief and the practice of animism that she employs in her act of worship to Jesus Christ.
To begin with, the excerpt clearly manifests traits of the belief in the Supreme Being which is at the core of African Traditional Religion and the entire culture of the African people. To the African, the Supreme Being is the Lord of the universe who is the originator, controller and sustainer of everything in it, manifesting Himself through His works (The Structure of African Traditional Religion, 1973). Afua Kuma expresses this view of Deity’s supremacy when she calls Jesus the all-powerful One, who is the master of all earthly dominions and proclaims His enigmatic nature using various daily life activities and materials. She declares Him as the one who uses the kono basket to carry water (Kuma, 1980). The kono basket is one with holes in it, unable to hold anything liquid and only used for carrying foodstuffs and any other item solid item. It is then unfathomable that a being can do th...

... middle of paper ...

...ndation and lens through which people see and interpret the world and the concepts therein as seen in Afua Kuma’s praise prayers and her depiction of Jesus Christ, her Jesus Christ of the Deep Forest.

REFERENCES
J.O.Awolalu. (1976). What Is African Traditional Religion. In J. Awolalu, Studies In Comparative Religion. World Wisdom Inc.
Kuma, A. (1980). Jesus of the Deep Forest. Accra: Asempa Publishers.
Mbiti. (n.d.). The Structure of African Traditional Religion. In Mbiti, African Traditional Religion: A Definition (pp. 137-178).
Odotei, I. K. (2014, February 20). Chieftaincy in Ghana. Retrieved from Professor Irene K. Odotei. org: http://irenekodotei.org/content/chieftincy-ghana
Unit Two: Studying Africa through the Social Studies. (2014, February 20). Retrieved from Exploring Africa: https://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m10/activity2.php

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