Monday 28 November 2011

my work

Environmental hazard' is a generic term for any situation or state of events which poses a threat to

the surrounding natural environment and

adversely affect people's health. This term

incorporates topics like pollution and natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes. Hazards can be categorized in five types:

1. Chemical

2. Physical

3. Mechanical

4. Biological

5. Psychosocial

Some examples of environmental hazards are: Earthquakes, Malaria, Wildfire, Floods and others.

These hazrads, as the term connotes, cause great havoc. They often cause loss of life, property and render people devastated.

My role as a journalist in the prevention of environmental hazards are going to be explained.

One thing i would do is to pay much morr attenion to socio-environmental issues rather than dabbling the political affairs. Journalist in Ghana are fond of this. They focus on the political flaws of people in authority instead of paying attention to the social needs of the people. A journalist could write ariticles to criticize the government on say; bad drainage systems that result in floods. Wrong buildning sites could also be taken up as a story since that is one cause of floods.

Also adverts on environmental pollution such as : littering, noise-making, urination into water bodies and so on, could help bring a cessation to them. Strategies must be put in place to carry this out. They must be done in the Local dialect. They must be aired often. This way i believe the Journalists aim of trying to curb the bad act would thrive.



Talk shows on environmental hazards could be held.Here, the pannel of judges must be very well educated, informed and should speak atleast a local language. This way the messages can be conveyed to the public efficiently

A journalist could cover a story on a particular natural disaster in a bid to highlight the intensity and consequence of it. This way a lot of people will read or watch the story. It will get talked about much. The people in high offices will definitely hear of it, the people's cries and pleas and will be forced to act on the natter. This way the lives of the people becomes better and the jorunalist's work too done to perfection.

Saturday 19 November 2011

Final work. Adinklra Symbols

Origin
The Adinkra symbols are believed to have their origin from Gyaman, a
former kingdom in today’s Côte D’Ivoire.
According to an Asante (Ghana) legend Adinkra was the name of a
king of the Gyaman (Nana kofi Adinkra). Adinkra was defeated and
captured in a battle by the Asantes for having copied the “Golden
Stool”, which represents for them absolute power and tribal cohesion.
He was finally killed and his territory annexed to the kingdom of
Asante.
The tradition had it that Nana Adinkra wore patterned cloth, which was
interpreted as a way of expressing his sorrow on being taken to
Kumasi the capital of Asante.
The Asante people around the 19th century then took to painting of
traditional symbols of the Gyamans onto cloth, a tradition that was
well practiced by the latter.
Adinkra also means ‘goodbye’ or ‘farewell’ in Twi the language of the
Akan ethnic group of which Asante is a part. It has therefore been
the tradition of the Akan especially the Asante to wear cloths
decorated with Adinkra symbols on important occasions especially at
funerals of family relations and friends. This is to signify their sorrow
and to bid farewell to the deceased.
Today, the Adinkra cloth is not exclusively worn by the Asante people.
It is worn by other ethnic groups in Ghana on a variety of social
gatherings and festive occasions
Symbolism/Significance
The Adinkra symbols express various themes that relate to the history,
beliefs and philosophy of the Asante. They mostly have rich proverbial
meaning since proverbs play an important role in the Asante culture.
The use of Proverbs is considered as a mark of wisdom.
Other Adinkra symbols depict historical events, human behaviour and
attitudes, animal behaviour, plant life forms and shapes of objects.

The symbols hold great meaning. Each of them has a unique name and meaning derived either from a proverb, a historical event, human attitude, animal behavior, plant life, forms and shapes of inanimate and man-made objects. Their meanings of motifs may be categorized as follows: Aesthetics, Ethics, Human Relations and Religious concepts.Adinkra symbols continue to change as new influences impact Ghanaian culture. For example, the Mercedes Benz logo, the star, has been adopted by the cloth makers. It now represents power and prestige in Ghana. Some exquisite examples of Adinkra cloth are worn at funerals.


In fact, the Adinkra symbols continue to change as new influences
impact on Ghanaian culture as some of the symbols now record
specific technological developments.The Adinkra cloth is stamped or printed with Adinkra symbols. It is
one of the few examples of traditional cloths in Africa.


The Adinkra cloth was hitherto the preserve of the royalty and spiritual
leaders of the Asantes. They wore it during very important sacred
ceremonies.
Today the Adinkra cloth is used for a wide range of social activities
such as festivals, marriage, and naming ceremonies among others.
TYPES:
The 3 most important funerary Adinkra are the dark – brown
(kuntunkuni) the brick – red (kobene) and the black (brisi).
There are however, other forms of which cannot be properly called
mourning cloth. Their bright and light backgrounds classify them as
Kwasiada Adinkra or Sunday Adinkra meaning fancy cloths which
cannot be suitable for funerary contents but appropriate for most
festive occasions or even daily wear.
Other uses of the Adinkra symbols
Adinkra symbols can be described as small, symbolic pictures or
motives used to decorate colourful patterned cloth by fashion
designers in Ghana.
Designers in modern times use Adinkra symbols in creating and
decorating other accessories than cloth.
Other artisans/crafts men such as sculptors, carpenters, and architects
also use the symbols to design their products.
Some corporate institutions in Ghana now use the Adinkra symbols as
their institutional Symbol or Logo.
Adinkra Printing
The Asante people have developed their unique art of adinkra printing.
They use two traditional printing methods; the block-stamp technique,
which involves the use of wooden or metal stamps and the screenprinting.
The Adinkra cloth was originally printed from hand carverd stamps
from calabash or gourd (apakyiwa). The dye or ink (adinkra aduru)
for printing is derived from the bark of the Badie and the roots of the
kuntunkuni trees. The bark and roots are soaked in water for days to
soften. They are then pounded to increase the softening process. The
Badie bark is boiled with iron scraps. When the colour (deep brown)
emerges from the pulp it is sieved and engraved onto a piece of
calabash or pot.
The kuntunkuni roots are also boiled into a dark solution to dye the
cloth black. The Cloth is dipped and soaked in the solution. It has to be
dried several times before it turns completely black.
The cloth is normally dyed in either red or black.
For the red Adinkra cloth, a chemical called Sudi is used instead of the
kuntunkuni root.
The Stamps
The various stamps carved from the calabash are tinted with dye and
pressed in sequence onto plain cotton cloth, pegged on the ground.
Today raised platforms with sack covering act as the printing table.
In recent times imported cloth is used as the background of the cloth.
Sometimes the various symbols are used on one fabric and this also
has its significance.
The designing is done according to the message the wearer or owner
of the cloth intends to convey to the participants of the event.
The quality of the cloth also shows the status of the one wearing it.
The original Adinkra cloth is not meant to be washed since it faded
easily as a result of the natural ink used without any chemical
additives.
Today, other types of cloth are used with the same adinkra motives
but stamped in indelible colours using the batik method.
Ntonso, a town in the Ashanti Region is noted for Adinkra cloth
production. It is popularly acknowledged as the “Home of Adinkra”




Here are some adrinka symbols and their meanings.
 SANKOFA (Go back to fetch it) Symbol of the wisdom in LEARNING FROM THE PAST in building for the future. Prov. "Se wo were fi na wo sankofa a yenkyi." (It is not taboo to go back and retrieve if you forget.)


DWENINI MMEN
#A4
  DWENINI MMEN (Ram's horns) Symbol of STRENGTH (of mind, body and soul) and HUMILITY. Prov. "Dwenini ye asisle a ode nakoma na ennye ne mmen." (The ram may bully, not with its horns but with his heart.  

AKOKO NAN
#A6
  AKOKO NAN (Hens feet) Symbol of PROTECTIVENESS and PARENTAL DISCIPLINE tempered with PATIENCE, MERCY and FONDNESS. Prov. "Akoko nan tia ne ba na enkum ba." (If a hen treads on her young ones, it does not mean to kill them).


OKODEE MMOWERE
#A7
  OKODEE MMOWERE (The talons of Eagle) Symbol of STRENGTH, BRAVERY and POWER. Based on the nature and behavior of the Eagle.


OWO FRO ADOBE
#A8
OWO FRO ADOBE (Snake climbing the rafia palm) Symbol of INGENUITY, and PERFORMANCE of an EXTRAORDINARY FEAT. Based on the ingenious act of a feetless snake climbing a rugged raffia palm tree.


FUNTUMMIREKU-DENKYEMMIREKU
#A9
FUNTUMMIREKU-DENKYEMMIREKU (A mythical two-headed crocodile sharing common stomach). Symbol of UNITY IN DIVERSITY & WARNING AGAINST INTERNAL SQUABBLES WHERE THERE IS A COMMON DESTINY. Prov. "Funtummireku-Denkyemmireku, wonafuru bom, nso wodidi a na wo pere so." (The two-headed which struggles over food though it goes to a common stomach).


Nana Kweku Tekyi Armah

Tuesday 15 November 2011

hmmmm

Im sitting on my bed now. Talking to myself, i guess im going crazy now.when am i gonna make it musically i ask myself as i look up to the ceiling. Im dropping mixtapes on the internet. Peeps dig me as well as my intellect. I know i got the talent; thats for sure but am i gonna make it? Thats the question. I know its takes time but i can't wait. I wanna be great and loved by the people i hate. I wanna be loved by the people who hate me and have the attention of the world at large. These words just hit me. This is an extempore writing or scholarly; free-writing. Im writing on whatever comes to mind but since im craving so much for musical success, it has dominated the note. I pray that i attain this musical sucess soon. I have the talent and i know with time and God's favour, i'll thrive.

omw to school

In a troski. On my way to school. This is the 3rd time im sitting in a commercial vehicle that is full ''nyanya''. For my foreign readers, i mean it has air condition in it. It is rare. The difference between these cars and the regular ones is the fare. Its slightly costly than a normal ''troski'' but i don't care. All i care about is my comfort and safety. And oh, i gotta get to school early. These ones are fast. They dont stop so much. Its cool.. Like literally. Lol. So as i said im on my way to school. I Hope the day ends a very exciting one as it has started out.

the review

The book''Animal farm was written by George Orwell. His actual name was Eric Arthur Blair.The latter was just his pseudonym.He was a novelist, essayist and journalist. He served with the Indian Imperial Police from 1922 to 1927 in Burma, fought in the Spanish Civil War and gained his experience from totalitarian and imperialistic systems. This attitude reflected in the satiric fable:Animal Farm.



George Orwell before writing the book, had an assertion that men exploited animals in much the same way as the rich exploited the proletariats. Also he thought that; if only animals became aware of

their strength we would have no power over

them. This inspired him to write the book.In this sense, the animals represented the proletariats while the Humans represented the Rich and those in authority.

It is a really interesting and thought-provoking book. Its so lovely how he used the animals to put across his message to the public. I have read and found out that Orwell was a great critic of Joseph Stalin;a tyrannical ruler in Russia in Orwell's days. His name Stalin was as a result of escaping exile seven times. It meant ''steel''. Apparently he was a ''hard'' man.

In the book, the pig; Napoleon was alluded to Stalin. Animal farm adressed the issues of corruption during revolution by leaders,wickedness,ignorance,greed and partiality. Napoleon was wicked, corrupt,greedy and partial although he had his pros. His cons outweighed them. The other animals acted ignorant. On several occasions squealer actually made them think they had forgotten how a commandment was initially written. They always agreed to whatever Napoleon said through squealer without thorough examination.

"No animal

shall sleep in beds" was changed to "No animal shall

sleep in beds with sheets" when the pigs were

discovered to have been sleeping in the old

farmhouse. "No animal shall drink alcohol" was

changed to "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess" when the pigs discovered the farmer's

whisky. "Beasts of England" was later dubbed

inappropriate, as according to Napoleon the dream

of Animal Farm had been realised. It was replaced by

an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who was

adopting the lifestyle of a man. The pigs were corrupted by the absolute power they held over the farm. To maintain their popularity with the other animals, Squealer secretly painted additions to some commandments to benefit the pigs while keeping

them free of accusations of law-breaking.



The book is a perfect Satire. Almost all the main characters represented someone in authority during Orwell's time. All the happenings had their interpretation in reality.

Here are a few allusions.



The "Battle of the Windmill'' represents the repulse of the Duke of Brunswick in 1792, following the Prussian bombardment that made the windmill of Valmy famous."

Also, according to Peter Edgerly Firchow and Peter Hobley Davison,in real life,

with events in Animal Farm mirroring those in the Soviet Union, this fictional battle represents the Great Patriotic War (World War II), especially the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Moscow.

Prestwick House's Activity Pack for Animal Farm

also identifies the Battle of the Windmill as an

allegory for World War II.During the battle, Fredrick drills a hole and places explosives inside, and it is followed by "All the animals, except Napoleon" took cover;

Orwell had the publisher alter this from "All the

animals, including Napoleon" in recognition of Joseph Stalin's decision to remain in Moscow during the German advance.

The Battle of the Cowshed represents the allied invasion of the Soviet Russia in 1918 and the defeat of the White Russians in the Russian Civil War.



In a way the story can be alluded to a leader who died quite recently; Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi.

I say so because in the story, Napoleon led the same life Gaddafi did. He ruled autocratically but contributed profoundly to the well-being of his people.



Libya had great natural resources which Gaddafi utilized to help develop the country. Under Gaddafi's rule the country's literacy rate rose from 10% to 90%, life expectancy rose from 57 to 77 years, equal rights were established for women and black people, employment opportunities were established for migrant workers, and welfare systems were introduced that allowed access to

free education, free healthcare, and financial assistance for housing.In addition, financial support was provided for university scholarships and employment programs.Gaddafi also initiated development of the Great Man made River,in order to allow free access to fresh water across large parts of the country.The country was developed without taking any foreign loans, and, as a result, Libya was debt-free.



Similarly, Napoleon with the help of his fellow pigs and other animals broke the bounds of slavery upon themselves by driving Mr Jones out of ''Manor Farm''. After the exile of Snowball, he manned the farm with his intelligence. The animals' harvests were far better than when Jones was on the farm. They had enough to eat. Life was comfortable for the animals. Although he was autocratic, he helped the animals greatly with his brilliance.Under his supervision, the Windmill which was taken down several times was finally erected.



All i am trying to put across is, the story was so well written that it can be used to allude to leaders of modern times. Thats a great feature of the book and a nice feat attributed to Orwell. It can be said that he had great foresight. The Book ''Animal Farm is a great Satire and i know it will be read for donkey years.

Thursday 10 November 2011

A Book Review On ''Animal Farm'' by George Orwell

The book''Animal farm was written by George Orwell. His actual name was Eric Arthur Blair.The latter was just his pseudonym.He was a novelist, essayist and journalist. He served with the Indian Imperial Police from 1922 to 1927 in Burma, fought in the Spanish Civil War and gained his experience from totalitarian and imperialistic systems. This attitude reflected in the satiric fable:Animal Farm.



George Orwell before writing the book, had an assertion that men exploited animals in much the same way as the rich exploited the proletariats. Also he thought that; if only animals became aware of

their strength we would have no power over

them. This inspired him to write the book.In this sense, the animals represented the proletariats while the Humans represented the Rich and those in authority.

It is a really interesting and thought-provoking book. Its so lovely how he uses the animals to put across his message to the public. I have read and found out that Orwell was a great critic of Joseph Stalin;a tyrannical ruler in Russia in Orwell's days. His name Stalin was as a result of escaping exile seven times. It meant ''steel''. Apparently he was a ''hard'' man.

In the book, the pig; Napoleon was alluded to Stalin. Animal farm adressed the issues of corruption during revolution by leaders,wickedness,ignorance,greed and partiality. Napoleon was wicked, corrupt,greedy and partial although he had his pros. His cons outweighed them. The other animals acted ignorant. On several occasions squealer actually made them think they had forgotten how a commandment was initially written. They always agreed to whatever Napoleon said through squealer without thorough examination.

"No animal

shall sleep in beds" was changed to "No animal shall

sleep in beds with sheets" when the pigs were

discovered to have been sleeping in the old

farmhouse. "No animal shall drink alcohol" was

changed to "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess" when the pigs discovered the farmer's

whisky. "Beasts of England" was later dubbed

inappropriate, as according to Napoleon the dream

of Animal Farm had been realised. It was replaced by

an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who was

adopting the lifestyle of a man. The pigs were corrupted by the absolute power they held over the farm. To maintain their popularity with the other animals, Squealer secretly painted additions to some commandments to benefit the pigs while keeping

them free of accusations of law-breaking.



The book is a perfect Satire. Almost all the main characters represented someone in authority during Orwell's time. All the happenings had their interpretation in reality.

i feel good

Anytime you come around,cooking my favourite food,

girl you make me feel good. We chit-chat a lil in the

bedroom. Go out and take a recce in the hood.

You know 1 thing straight. Girl I love you with my soul and thats for real. I go dey by you till the day wey ma body go

become still. I love being with you cos youu so interesting. Being around you

gal is never boring.I often try to phone you even when

you working. Yourr loving got me feeling like this is heaven. whenever you wit me; im so damn happy.

I call u baby.

You call me sexy.

Dont care what my boys say.I'll

be with you all day. You cook my best meal. Thats indomie.

We no go shun.

We dey forever.

Our love is strong never do you wrong. Its all good

deeds. You aint gotta doubt that. Cos wen I'm wit you baby

I feel good.

No matter what they say.

No matter what they do.

I still got ur back baby

I no go lef you kraa.

Me tena wonky3n daa.

Mefi wano saa. I go be with you forever. Till death do us part.

holla at me

Im a dude With a nice cool attitude. But if you F around yo

u can get ya ass whipped. Charley me I no dey like

fucked up peeps. So dont fuck with me or else you go see

red. And I aint talking about wine. My God go stop

anybro who want block ma shine. My better days are

c(u)oming cos I'm fucking up d game hard. crazy on the beat,call me musical retard. I'm lyrically potent, fucking wit beats. Yh I make tracks

pregnant. And the game is ma mofkn wife so ma tracks

bring forth success in abundance. This is me my self

and I. My 1st mixtape so I gotta gotta keep it real tight.

Sitting up writing lines on ma berry. Call me drizzy cos

im up all night. Kush roll glass full I prefer the better things. everybody doing wack stuff but I do better

things.To the man above, a big THANK U cos in the future

I know I'm gon do Big thangs! Chorus:

holla @ me dude anytime u c me. Me I no dey

rush kraa. Yh I go holla back. Holla @ me dude, holla @ me gal. I not rude. I'm so

gregarious!!!!

power

Im living in a world full of instrus pens and

notebooks im always putting damn words unto them

pages.And funny enough my name is pages. Holy shit

nigga cos am fuckn like sages. No one man should have all

these lyrics. Im going gaga on the track check my antics. Me di trak no di agoro me bo nu tatics... .and im fuckn rocking with the main man mantis. Hot flow though im no fire-eater.Rap no me tumi

ko ne saa I no dey taya. E dey ma inners 4rm kidi tym

cos na I dey rhyme na I know say I go turn prime

rapper.I dont do it for the paper I just do it as a favour to

myself mofkr. Please dont get it twisted or else your leg imma break

it get it twisted. You got that hater ? Please dont get it twisted !.imma keep on rapping man till the death of me. Its no young money cos I want the world homie. Its

methuselah money homie I betchu feel me cos i got

higher goals than drogba has. Hey. In dis 21st

century gotta make a lot money just to end up with a

honey and then get life sweet as honey. Never do things wrong always do things right. But thats shontelle. I mean impossible.You cant be living

smooth forever with no trouble. You tryna tell me your

champagne glass aint got a bubble? Wotchu talking

mayne I just dont get that. You gotta hustle for power to be as

high as tower. Make your raps very lucid. Make em

punchlines hot as acid. Get it popping all the time. Never spit a lame rhyme. Gotta rap all the time. Perfection grows wit

h time. Nothing good comes easy! Dont believe me go ask Bruno

Mars. ''easy come easy go'' so dont take hard work likely. You

might be hot today but tomorrow you unlucky

so just do your shit and never say am gon be lucky and act

hapazardly. With that act you will hardly ever ever make it feel me Homie! Cos am spitting truth. Thats what I do when

im in d booth. Punchlines man. Bite it and break your

tooth. Yh. Get it straight am a nigga wit tenacity. Success

is a fuckn necessity. I work hard with alacrity so at the

end of day i'll be an entity. Kanye's got d power. Jay z

's got d power. Pages nigga 2 imma end up wit that power; be on top of the world'' no T.I. ft Luda. I want the power want the girls want the money and the

fame so everywhere I go people be screaming out ma name.

Sayin he the fuckn man. Flow fly lyk peter pan. fans

yearning for me as far as Japan.And I wanna be the best that

ever did it. Weezy pages; thats what you gotta call me cos

imma make it. Achieve alll of my goals like a number 10 player. Yh am Pele in the game. Kicking rappers like a

football. Bet on me cos imma kill em all. Imma kill em all. Imma imma kill em all like a fuckn

policeman nabbing robbers @ the mall.

say whats real

Paranoia's gt me trapped. I cnt act normal any more I try to please others. People alwaiz dissin me treatin me lyk trash bt I guez its gonna end wen I d 4kn cash. Ma pops aint around ma mama tryna raise me. Bt I unt mk it easy. I kp on being naughty. N I jx wanna be able to gt wt I wnt n wt I need so I dnt eva smoke on d weed. As a lil boi ma pops was to damn strict. He had me indoors lyk ol d tym. So I grew up an introvert. Kept stuff to ma self lyk I hav no friend. Peers laughter became ma favourite tune cos I heard it ol d tym. Pain ate me up wit a knife n fork. I ws d laughin stork. I neva had fukn l8tst stuff. Lyk d nikes d js d freakin fresh tims. D whitest d tightest d fukn fresh ts. Eh dabia na ma tom. Anadwo biara ah na me te bo bom. Beat na ebo no na me de atwere nnwom. Onwia se we ne gye ho aa eni3 som shw3. Twi rap me enye me line bt me ka se me rapi aa me ye no fine. Ma traks aint 4 fun ma flws beyond rappin. So wen u hear ma lines jx knw it reali hapnd. Evaluate it analyze, conclude n apply it to ur lives. Quite rememba way way bk in december. 2009 had a fight wit ma brother! I gt hurt so bad I ws a bother to ma mother. I cried man I culdnt hold ma shit together. I cudnt gt it thru ma brain y I let him beat me n later on luk me in the eyes n try to snd me. damn he really did upset me. Bt shit man am olwaiz gon do me. Ok forget abt dat. Lts tk abt ma life in sss !man I cn tok dat in excess! Cos shit it wz so full o shit. Ups n downs. Ws lyk a staircase in ss! One time I ws I luv wit a gurl named lizzy! Bt damn she never made it eazy! neva reciprocated ma luv. got me goin crazy. Runnin in love head over heels I bechu u knw hw it feels. Damn dat sweet baby really gt me! Was doin stuff 4 her impulsively, cos I luvd her profusely, bt in d a end she refused me! N neva gv it up to me! Yh. I gues I ought to b alone. Till d tym comes n dat chick isa gonna moan. Sayin sweet words when we chatn overphone. Gv me high respect lyk d vatican dome,treat me lyk a man nt lyk a gnome! I aint hi on no shit man. Am jx talkin real shit man. Call dis an audio auto-biography. Yh cos am jx sayin stuff abt ma self. Real stuff 2 cos d track says say what's real. I say whatz real col me mr drake. Unlike em dudes I aint fake ma flows r straight cos I aint no lake am so unflawed I make no mistake.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

adinkra

Origin
The Adinkra symbols are believed to have their origin from Gyaman, a
former kingdom in today’s Côte D’Ivoire.
According to an Asante (Ghana) legend Adinkra was the name of a
king of the Gyaman (Nana kofi Adinkra). Adinkra was defeated and
captured in a battle by the Asantes for having copied the “Golden
Stool”, which represents for them absolute power and tribal cohesion.
He was finally killed and his territory annexed to the kingdom of
Asante.
The tradition had it that Nana Adinkra wore patterned cloth, which was
interpreted as a way of expressing his sorrow on being taken to
Kumasi the capital of Asante.
The Asante people around the 19th century then took to painting of
traditional symbols of the Gyamans onto cloth, a tradition that was
well practiced by the latter.
Adinkra also means ‘goodbye’ or ‘farewell’ in Twi the language of the
Akan ethnic group of which Asante is a part. It has therefore been
the tradition of the Akan especially the Asante to wear cloths
decorated with Adinkra symbols on important occasions especially at
funerals of family relations and friends. This is to signify their sorrow
and to bid farewell to the deceased.
Today, the Adinkra cloth is not exclusively worn by the Asante people.
It is worn by other ethnic groups in Ghana on a variety of social
gatherings and festive occasions
Symbolism/Significance
The Adinkra symbols express various themes that relate to the history,
beliefs and philosophy of the Asante. They mostly have rich proverbial
meaning since proverbs play an important role in the Asante culture.
The use of Proverbs is considered as a mark of wisdom.
Other Adinkra symbols depict historical events, human behaviour and
attitudes, animal behaviour, plant life forms and shapes of objects.

The symbols hold great meaning. Each of them has a unique name and meaning derived either from a proverb, a historical event, human attitude, animal behavior, plant life, forms and shapes of inanimate and man-made objects. Their meanings of motifs may be categorized as follows: Aesthetics, Ethics, Human Relations and Religious concepts.Adinkra symbols continue to change as new influences impact Ghanaian culture. For example, the Mercedes Benz logo, the star, has been adopted by the cloth makers. It now represents power and prestige in Ghana. Some exquisite examples of Adinkra cloth are worn at funerals.


In fact, the Adinkra symbols continue to change as new influences
impact on Ghanaian culture as some of the symbols now record
specific technological developments.The Adinkra cloth is stamped or printed with Adinkra symbols. It is
one of the few examples of traditional cloths in Africa.


The Adinkra cloth was hitherto the preserve of the royalty and spiritual
leaders of the Asantes. They wore it during very important sacred
ceremonies.
Today the Adinkra cloth is used for a wide range of social activities
such as festivals, marriage, and naming ceremonies among others.
TYPES:
The 3 most important funerary Adinkra are the dark – brown
(kuntunkuni) the brick – red (kobene) and the black (brisi).
There are however, other forms of which cannot be properly called
mourning cloth. Their bright and light backgrounds classify them as
Kwasiada Adinkra or Sunday Adinkra meaning fancy cloths which
cannot be suitable for funerary contents but appropriate for most
festive occasions or even daily wear.
Other uses of the Adinkra symbols
Adinkra symbols can be described as small, symbolic pictures or
motives used to decorate colourful patterned cloth by fashion
designers in Ghana.
Designers in modern times use Adinkra symbols in creating and
decorating other accessories than cloth.
Other artisans/crafts men such as sculptors, carpenters, and architects
also use the symbols to design their products.
Some corporate institutions in Ghana now use the Adinkra symbols as
their institutional Symbol or Logo.
Adinkra Printing
The Asante people have developed their unique art of adinkra printing.
They use two traditional printing methods; the block-stamp technique,
which involves the use of wooden or metal stamps and the screenprinting.
The Adinkra cloth was originally printed from hand carverd stamps
from calabash or gourd (apakyiwa). The dye or ink (adinkra aduru)
for printing is derived from the bark of the Badie and the roots of the
kuntunkuni trees. The bark and roots are soaked in water for days to
soften. They are then pounded to increase the softening process. The
Badie bark is boiled with iron scraps. When the colour (deep brown)
emerges from the pulp it is sieved and engraved onto a piece of
calabash or pot.
The kuntunkuni roots are also boiled into a dark solution to dye the
cloth black. The Cloth is dipped and soaked in the solution. It has to be
dried several times before it turns completely black.
The cloth is normally dyed in either red or black.
For the red Adinkra cloth, a chemical called Sudi is used instead of the
kuntunkuni root.
The Stamps
The various stamps carved from the calabash are tinted with dye and
pressed in sequence onto plain cotton cloth, pegged on the ground.
Today raised platforms with sack covering act as the printing table.
In recent times imported cloth is used as the background of the cloth.
Sometimes the various symbols are used on one fabric and this also
has its significance.
The designing is done according to the message the wearer or owner
of the cloth intends to convey to the participants of the event.
The quality of the cloth also shows the status of the one wearing it.
The original Adinkra cloth is not meant to be washed since it faded
easily as a result of the natural ink used without any chemical
additives.
Today, other types of cloth are used with the same adinkra motives
but stamped in indelible colours using the batik method.
Ntonso, a town in the Ashanti Region is noted for Adinkra cloth
production. It is popularly acknowledged as the “Home of Adinkra”




Here are some adrinka symbols and their meanings.

 NSOROMMA

" child of the heavens [stars] "
symbol of guardianship

A reminder that God is the father and watches over all people.


NKYINKYIM

" twisting"

symbol of initiative, dynamism and versatility


    
AKOMA NTOSO

" linked hearts"

symbol of understanding and agreement







SEPOW

"The dagger or executioner's knife"

Symbol of justice and punishment.


    
NKONSONKONSON

" chain link"

symbol of unity and human relations

A reminder to contribute to the community, that in unity lies strength


    
ESE NE TEKREMA

" the teeth and the tongue"
symbol of friendship and interdependence

The teeth and the tongue play interdependent roles in the mouth. They may come into conflict, but they need to work together.


Nana Kweku Tekyi Armah