A Theological Reflection on the Akan Doctrine of the Human Soul

Abstract

The Akan doctrine of the human soul (nipa-kraa) expresses the indigenous Akan worldview and theology. As a contribution to the contextualization of Christian theology within the Akan community, this article explored the Akan doctrine of the soul and then reflected on this doctrine from a Christian theological perspective. The article used a qualitative research approach through a critical review of relevant literature on the subject. In the process, it analyzed selected portions of the Nana Kwame Ampadu's highlife song titled Yaa Amanua to provide further insights into the Akan understanding of the human soul. The article shows that Christianity can better serve the Akan community if indigenous ideas are connected to relevant aspects of the Christian faith. Yet, in the process the Bible must be the final authority of that contextualization process.

Keywords

• Akan
• kraa (soul)
• Christian theology
• Nana Kwame Ampadu