Onipa:

The Human Being and the Being of Human Among the Akan people of West Africa. Towards an African Theological Anthropology.

Authors

  • Clifford Owusu-Gyamfi

Keywords:

Akan Anthropology, Theological Anthropology, Human Being, Onipa

Abstract

The concept of an existential numinous being, known in Akan terminology as Onipa, provides the basic framework upon which Akan socio-religious and political structure is constructed. Onipa is the Akan term for the human being. The Akan rationalistic conception that “all human beings are the children of God and none is a child of the earth” establishes three basic ontological realities for understanding Akan anthropology. First, the human being has a numinous substance (ontology) and not only natural. Second, the human being does not live in isolation but has a relational ontology. And third, the human being has a functional ontology according to the ways of God. This paper gives a considerable amount of space to discuss these aspects of the human being and how they form the basis for the development of Akan theological anthropology.

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Published

2019-11-24

How to Cite

Owusu-Gyamfi, C. (2019). Onipa:: The Human Being and the Being of Human Among the Akan people of West Africa. Towards an African Theological Anthropology. Trinity Postgraduate Review Journal, 18(1), 74–94. Retrieved from https://ojs.tchpc.tcd.ie/index.php/tpr/article/view/1307