SANKOFA
By Nii B. Andrews
The Ga Homowo celebrations have started in earnest.
This painting should therefore serve as a powerful reminder of the deep spiritual truths embedded in the annual festival and cosmology of the Ga-Adangbe who are the indigenes of Ghana’s capital, Accra.
But are we aware of these truths?
Do we understand these lofty ideas?
Are we keeping the true faith of our forebears?
Sawyerr in the title (Sankofa) and composition of this cinematic painting provides us with important clues as to his thoughts on these serious questions.
Why does he have the three priests in the foreground wearing sandals?
But their regalia (straw hats, white cloth and beads) points to them being Ga traditional priests.
Yes, the cloths look blue in color- but that is a fauvist interpretation by the artist.
You will notice that the priests with their backs turned (on the left side of the painting) and retreating are barefooted- the proper attire for a Ga traditional priest.
Furthermore, there is another sole priest on the right side; he is barefooted and looking away from the three priests engaged in the foreground.
Sawyerr in a subtle but emphatic way exhorts us to adhere to the tenets of the Homowo celebration and not to accept deviations or countenance any imposters from the original plan.
Afi oo Afi
Afi naa akpe wɔ
Afi aya ni eba nina wɔ
Kpaanyɔ anina wɔ
Wɔ fee moomo
Wɔ ye Gbo, wɔ ye Gbiεna
Alonte diŋ ko akafo wɔteŋ
Atswa akpe, wɔ nɔ bε mli
Kpaŋ fεε kpaŋ ni wɔgblaa,
aba shwie wɔ hiε
Kε wɔje bu lε, wɔje nu;
Kε wɔ yε nu wɔ nu lε, wɔ koji anɔ ajɔ wɔ
Ni nyεmi afee nyεmi
Ni wɔsεε afi lε wɔ hi wala mli lolo
Ni wɔsεε afi lε ahi aha wɔ fe nεkε
Jɔɔmɔ, Hewalε, Shweremɔ, Shika, Nɔyaa, Kunimyeli afee wɔ fεε wɔ nɔ!
Tswa ni Omanye Jurɔ abla wɔ!
This is a classical piece, fascinating and thought provoking.The artist attempts to capture a lost glory of the Ga priesthood tradition, but he juxtaposes this against what appears to be a sham, a counterfeit and a caricature of what used to be a treasured tradition.
The wulɔmɔ, priest of the Ga tradition, epitomised wala (life) in all its manifestations. He was the respected priest-king.
Our forebears who held him in deep reverence knew he was different from the priest mediums, the wɔyei and wɔŋtsɛmɛi, who functioned under him. In the early 20th century, many of these priest mediums, imposters and charlatans were thrown to the outskirts of Accra by the colonial authorities apparently for practising deception.
Not so the wulɔmɛi, they kept their dignity intact. The picture of our contemporary traditional religious practice which the artist attempts to capture is murky.
Wulɔmɛi did not put on any footwear, neither did they use beads.
The change in custume and regalia may have been occasioned by secularisation and an attempt to compete with the maŋtsɛmɛi who they view as having usurped their position.
The kɔmi that the wulɔmɛi wore as necklace truly symbolised their spiritual pedigree and status. Interestingly, the word kɔmi is used when a wulɔmɔ is in a trance-like mood.
The fact that it is absent in this art piece is a vivid demonstration of the extent to which the institution has degenerated.
Many thanks for your insightful comment. It sheds light and disperses the clouds that have led to grave misunderstandings about a fundamental aspect of Ga culture.
Your comments also further deepen our appreciation of Sawyerr’s painting – SANKOFA.
Much respect, Okle bi.