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There is a divine pronouncement among the Akan that all human beings are children of God (Nana Nyame), none a child of the earth (mother); meaning that human beings are spiritual in origin, descending directly from God via the Abosom (gods and goddesses). Every person then has a deity as father (¿gya-bosom), recognition of which existentially enables a person to fulfil one's career or professional blueprint (Nkrabea). Intrinsically, therefore, human beings embody the very essence of the Abosom, which manifests itself behaviorally and psychologically in a manner identical to those of the gods and goddesses.
African Personality and Spirituality: The Role of Abosom and Human Essence therefore addresses ultimate existential concerns of the Akan, revealing the essence of the primeval gods and goddesses and how they transform themselves into human beings, as well as the psychology of personality characteristic attributes, the phenomenon of spirit alightment, and other manifestations of the gods and goddesses, and the imperative of ethical existence and generativity (¿bra b¿) as basis of eternal life.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Akan Eschatology
Chapter 2: The Nature of the Spirit
Chapter 3: The Spirit Incarnate
Chapter 4: Manifestation of the Spirit
Chapter 5: The Ethical Pathway
About the author
Anthony Ephirim-Donkor is associate professor of religion and Africana studies and chair of the Department of Africana Studies at Binghamton University, State University of New York. He is also the traditional king of Gomoa Mprumem, Ghana.
Summary
This book is a revealing and insightful study about Gods and Goddesses (Abosom) as key to unlocking the mystery of the human being. Thus, this book will be of interest to Africanists, African Americanists, those interested in black spirituality and hermeneutics, cultural anthropologists, and scholars of religion and theology.
Additional text
Anthony Ephirim-Donkor has written a very intriguing book about how Africans look at religion and philosophy. The book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the way Africans and African Americans order their religious and social lives.
