GRAPHICS OF COMMUNICATION (ASSIGNMENT)

ADINKRA SYMBOLS ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TOOLS. DISCUSS.

Adinkra Symbolism according to Dr Kwaku Ofori- Ansa, a Ghanaian philosopher, “is a visual representation of social thought relating to the history, philosophy and religious beliefs of the Akan people of Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire”.

Adinkra is believed to have its origin from Gyaman, a former Kingdom of today La Cote D’Ivoire. In the early 19^th century, there was a war between two Kings, namely the King of Gyaman and the Ashanti King of Ghana. King Adinkra, the king of Gyaman, attempted to copy the designs of the Golden stool which was the unifying force of the Asante nation. This attempt angered the Asantehene, (the Ashanti King) Nana Osei Bonsu-Panyin and sparked off a war between the two kingdoms. During the war, King Adinkra was defeated and killed. The Asantes took the cloth King Adinkra wore in the battle as a trophy.

With the cloth, the Asantes brought the art of stamping cloth. They painted traditional symbols on to cloth. The Adinkra is one of the few examples of traditional cloths in Africa. The first Adinkra symbol made meant royalty and this is the basis of Adinkra. There are several types of Adinkra cloths. There’s the one worn by tribal chiefs which has symbols such as ‘think ahead’. The cloth was been worn by royalty and spiritual leaders for mourning during funeral services. This was a tradition that was well practiced.

The cloth is stamped and tied to togas. The cloth makers press the patterns into the fabric using ancient hard carved stamps made from the calabash gourd and the dye made from the bark of the Kuntunki tree. The bark is boiled with iron slag and then made into a paste called Adinkra Aduru. The gourds with the symbols are then attached to short sticks and dipped in the dye and stamped on the cloth. The cloth makers divide the sections with linear designs and use repeat patterns or tessellations to create the beautiful work. In Akan, Adinkra means farewell or goodbye.

Lately, some corporate institutions in Ghana use the Adinkra symbols as their institutional symbol or logo. In communication, there are various forms of communicating of which one of them is non verbal form of communication. Non verbal form of communication can basically be referred to as sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways without the use of verbal codes (words). For example, in Africa, the lion is a symbol of ferocity danger and royalty. In one culture sheep can be a sign or symbol of humility, in another it can be a sign of stupidity. Using Adinkra symbols can be an example of the various tools of non verbal forms of communication, where symbols are used instead of words to communicate complex knowledge, abstracts, truths and ideas about life and its meaning. Adinkra symbols can again be considered as visual communication tools. Visual communication is simply the projection of information or ideas in readable and appreciable forms.

In visual communication, a symbol should be meaningful. That is, one should be able make meaning out of a symbol or should be able to associate an image or a symbol with something. These Adinkra symbols are very effective communication tools and mostly have rich proverbial meanings since proverbs play an important role in the African culture. Other Adinkra symbols depict historical events, human behaviour and attitudes, animal behaviour, emotions, plant life forms and shapes of objects. Examples of these symbols are; ‘ADINKRAHENE’ which is the "chief of adinkra symbols" and its meant to be a symbol of greatness, charisma or leadership,AKOBEN which also means the "war horn" representing vigilance or wariness, DENKYEM "crocodile" meaning adaptability, DUAFE "wooden comb" representing beauty, hygiene or feminine qualities,ESE NE TEKREMA "the teeth and the tongue" as a symbol of friendship and interdependence. The sight of this symbol tells one of how one can depend on another (friendship). Through this symbol, people learn how useful friendship is.GYE NYAME "except for God" which tells the supremacy of God, MATE MASIE meaning "what I hear, I keep" represents wisdom, knowledge and prudence. It also implies “I understand”. In the Akan tradition, understanding means wisdom and knowledge. MMUSUYIDEE meaning "that which removes ill luck" representing good fortune and sanctity, NKONSONKONSON "chain links" represents unity and human relations, NKYINKYIM "twistings" represents initiative, dynamism and versatility, NYAME BIRIBI WO SORO "God is in the heavens" represents hope, NYAME NTI "by God's grace" also stands for faith & trust in God,OWUO ATWEDEE "the ladder of death" represents mortality,/ SANKOFA meaning "return and get it" tells us that one can always learn from the past .

 In Ghana, Chiefs and especially linguists use these signs a lot. For instance if the nkonsonkonson symbol is found on top of the staff of a linguist, he needs not say anything. Just that symbol, should tell the people that, there should be unity. All these symbols are unique in their own ways.

REFERENCES

www.africawithin.com/tour/ghana/adinkra/htm
www.ghanaweb.com
www.touringghana.com

ADJEI SANDRA ASHIRLEY

LEVEL 200