The Sabbath...among the Ghananians.
Theological Branch: Africa Biblical Studies.
Topic: The Sabbath and Sunday among the Akans.
Reference:
THE ASHANTI/AKANS SABBATH IN CONTEXT/CONCEPT WITH THE BIBLICAL SABBATH: A MISSIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE, Journal of AIIAS African Theological Association 5 (2014): 39-56. (OHN APPIAH, PHD CANDIDATE AND ELISHA KWABENA MARFO, MA. Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Silang, Cavite, Philippines )
• Concept of the Sabbath to the Ashantis/Akan.
• Who are the Ashantis/Akans?
• What is their culture and traditional belief in congruence with the biblical Sabbath?
The Akans are a nation and indigenous ethnic group residing on the Gulf of Guinea in the southern regions of the former Gold Coast region in what are today the republics of Ghana and the Ivory Coast in West African. Akans are the largest ethnic group in both countries and have a population of roughly 20 million people. Akans are not a racially homogenous ethnicity and they encompass a range of phenotypes *³³*. The Ashantis/Akans of Ghana are traditionally accustomed to celebrating different rituals which are enshrined in their cultural life. Seventh day Sabbath observance is the eternal covenant sign between God and His people (Ex. 31:16‐17). The seventh day Sabbath is traditionally acknowledged and observed in Ghana and some parts of West Africa among the Akans because it remains for the people of God (Heb. 4:4, 9; cf Luke 4:16, 31). The Akan have two names for Saturday. One of the Akans name for Saturday *Memeneda*‛ which literally means ‚the day of I am that I am‛ and the other is ‚ *Homeda* ‛ which literally means ‚a day of rest.‛ The ‚memeneda‛ is in congruence with God’s name ‚I am that I am‛ which He revealed to Moses when God had encounter with Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:14), while the ‚homeda‛ is in congruence with the Sabbath as a day of rest (Gen. 2:1-3; Exo. 20:8; Deut. 5:12). One of the traditional Akan names for the Almighty God of creation is ‚ *Tweaduampon Kwame* ‛, that is, Saturday‐born God.‛ *The name ‚Kwame‛ is a personal name given to a male born on Saturday* . The Akans belief that God completed his work of creation on Saturday, hence God is named ‚Kwame‛ among the Akans. Again, this traditional belief is in congruence with the Biblical truth of the seventh day as a special day of God. It must be said that ‚Akan religion recognizes only one Supreme Deity, *Onyamee or Onyankopon Tweaduampon Kwaame* , the God of Saturday, synonymous with the Jehovah of the Jews.‛ *³⁴* The seventh day Sabbath, the only divine commandment dating to creation (Gen. 2:1‐3) which the Creator commands men to ‚remember to keep holy‛ (Ex. 20:8‐11; Mark 2:27), is almost intrinsic to the African and is etched deep in his consciousness. Among the Akan people, the seventh day of the week is a day when no work, no funeral, no marriage, no festivities, should be performed. They are known as the marriage, no festivities, should be performed. They are known as the forbidden day which is reserved for the creator God. Bradford maintains that: _There is growing evidence from the African continent that Sabbath consciousness exists among its peoples, and has from time immemorial. This consciousness long predates Christianity , and certainly does not derive from the European ecclesiastical establishment, which apparently strove mightily to suppress it_ *³⅝* *Interestingly Akans call the White man “Akwasibronii,” which literally the one who brought Sunday worship,* instead of the traditionally acknowledged Seventh day Sabbath. The Akan people of Ghana treasure a great African heritage in Onyamee Kwaame, the God of Saturday. Long before the European Akwasi Bronii anchored at the shores of Ghana in 1471 A.D. *³8* The Akan peoples of Ghana worshiped the Creator on Saturday long before the first Portuguese ship anchored off the coast in 1471. So prior to the coming of the Portuguese the Akans knew God. *39* Akans, however, did not know Jesus but they knew God.
*Reference.*
33). Akans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_people.html
34). Kofi Owusu-Mensa, *Saturday God and Adventism in Ghana*. (New York, NY: P. Lang, 1993).
³⅝). Charles E. Bradford, Sabbath Roots The African Connection (Barre, VT: L. Brown and Sons, 1999), 25‐27. 38). Owusu-Mensah, Saturday God and Adventism in Ghana.
39) ibid.
Once the African realises that his God is different from the god of the whites that is worshipped on Sunday, then he will come out of those colonial churches that brought Sunday worship to Africa and manipulated African politics to sought their European colonial ideology. The Bible predicts such a movement in Dan 11:42-45 KJV 42 He(king of the North) shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: *and the land of Egypt shall not escape.*(neo-colonial) 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, *and over all the precious things of Egypt:* *(when the came out of Egypt they left with the precious things of Egypt)* and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. *(Africans reacting against the colonial attitudes and realising that the ancient African Traditional Religion is Sabbath keeping)* 44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north *(north is Babylon where reactionary theology will be instantiated against European(non Sabbath keeping theology) religio-political neo-coloniality)* shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. (Little time of trouble against those who worship God in truth (judicial) and Spirit (testimony of Jesus c/o Rev 12:17).
The act of *Stretching* out one's hand is synonymous with the establishment of a hegemony (Exodus 3:20) , which the Africans will suffer colonially under it. But then there will be an innovative and reactionary revolution against the King of the North who is anti Africa (Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia).
This reaction will bring about an indignent crusade against Sabbath keeping Africans and then eventually this stand against the Mark of authority of the King of the North will lead to the second coming of Jesus, Daniel 12: 1 to rescue the *Countries and the Africans*. God is more on the side of Africans and all those who believe in Sabbathe keeping and the Testimony of Jesus Christ which is the Spirit of Prophecy.
Topic: The Sabbath and Sunday among the Akans.
Reference:
THE ASHANTI/AKANS SABBATH IN CONTEXT/CONCEPT WITH THE BIBLICAL SABBATH: A MISSIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE, Journal of AIIAS African Theological Association 5 (2014): 39-56. (OHN APPIAH, PHD CANDIDATE AND ELISHA KWABENA MARFO, MA. Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Silang, Cavite, Philippines )
• Concept of the Sabbath to the Ashantis/Akan.
• Who are the Ashantis/Akans?
• What is their culture and traditional belief in congruence with the biblical Sabbath?
The Akans are a nation and indigenous ethnic group residing on the Gulf of Guinea in the southern regions of the former Gold Coast region in what are today the republics of Ghana and the Ivory Coast in West African. Akans are the largest ethnic group in both countries and have a population of roughly 20 million people. Akans are not a racially homogenous ethnicity and they encompass a range of phenotypes *³³*. The Ashantis/Akans of Ghana are traditionally accustomed to celebrating different rituals which are enshrined in their cultural life. Seventh day Sabbath observance is the eternal covenant sign between God and His people (Ex. 31:16‐17). The seventh day Sabbath is traditionally acknowledged and observed in Ghana and some parts of West Africa among the Akans because it remains for the people of God (Heb. 4:4, 9; cf Luke 4:16, 31). The Akan have two names for Saturday. One of the Akans name for Saturday *Memeneda*‛ which literally means ‚the day of I am that I am‛ and the other is ‚ *Homeda* ‛ which literally means ‚a day of rest.‛ The ‚memeneda‛ is in congruence with God’s name ‚I am that I am‛ which He revealed to Moses when God had encounter with Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:14), while the ‚homeda‛ is in congruence with the Sabbath as a day of rest (Gen. 2:1-3; Exo. 20:8; Deut. 5:12). One of the traditional Akan names for the Almighty God of creation is ‚ *Tweaduampon Kwame* ‛, that is, Saturday‐born God.‛ *The name ‚Kwame‛ is a personal name given to a male born on Saturday* . The Akans belief that God completed his work of creation on Saturday, hence God is named ‚Kwame‛ among the Akans. Again, this traditional belief is in congruence with the Biblical truth of the seventh day as a special day of God. It must be said that ‚Akan religion recognizes only one Supreme Deity, *Onyamee or Onyankopon Tweaduampon Kwaame* , the God of Saturday, synonymous with the Jehovah of the Jews.‛ *³⁴* The seventh day Sabbath, the only divine commandment dating to creation (Gen. 2:1‐3) which the Creator commands men to ‚remember to keep holy‛ (Ex. 20:8‐11; Mark 2:27), is almost intrinsic to the African and is etched deep in his consciousness. Among the Akan people, the seventh day of the week is a day when no work, no funeral, no marriage, no festivities, should be performed. They are known as the marriage, no festivities, should be performed. They are known as the forbidden day which is reserved for the creator God. Bradford maintains that: _There is growing evidence from the African continent that Sabbath consciousness exists among its peoples, and has from time immemorial. This consciousness long predates Christianity , and certainly does not derive from the European ecclesiastical establishment, which apparently strove mightily to suppress it_ *³⅝* *Interestingly Akans call the White man “Akwasibronii,” which literally the one who brought Sunday worship,* instead of the traditionally acknowledged Seventh day Sabbath. The Akan people of Ghana treasure a great African heritage in Onyamee Kwaame, the God of Saturday. Long before the European Akwasi Bronii anchored at the shores of Ghana in 1471 A.D. *³8* The Akan peoples of Ghana worshiped the Creator on Saturday long before the first Portuguese ship anchored off the coast in 1471. So prior to the coming of the Portuguese the Akans knew God. *39* Akans, however, did not know Jesus but they knew God.
*Reference.*
33). Akans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_people.html
34). Kofi Owusu-Mensa, *Saturday God and Adventism in Ghana*. (New York, NY: P. Lang, 1993).
³⅝). Charles E. Bradford, Sabbath Roots The African Connection (Barre, VT: L. Brown and Sons, 1999), 25‐27. 38). Owusu-Mensah, Saturday God and Adventism in Ghana.
39) ibid.
Once the African realises that his God is different from the god of the whites that is worshipped on Sunday, then he will come out of those colonial churches that brought Sunday worship to Africa and manipulated African politics to sought their European colonial ideology. The Bible predicts such a movement in Dan 11:42-45 KJV 42 He(king of the North) shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: *and the land of Egypt shall not escape.*(neo-colonial) 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, *and over all the precious things of Egypt:* *(when the came out of Egypt they left with the precious things of Egypt)* and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. *(Africans reacting against the colonial attitudes and realising that the ancient African Traditional Religion is Sabbath keeping)* 44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north *(north is Babylon where reactionary theology will be instantiated against European(non Sabbath keeping theology) religio-political neo-coloniality)* shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. (Little time of trouble against those who worship God in truth (judicial) and Spirit (testimony of Jesus c/o Rev 12:17).
The act of *Stretching* out one's hand is synonymous with the establishment of a hegemony (Exodus 3:20) , which the Africans will suffer colonially under it. But then there will be an innovative and reactionary revolution against the King of the North who is anti Africa (Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia).
This reaction will bring about an indignent crusade against Sabbath keeping Africans and then eventually this stand against the Mark of authority of the King of the North will lead to the second coming of Jesus, Daniel 12: 1 to rescue the *Countries and the Africans*. God is more on the side of Africans and all those who believe in Sabbathe keeping and the Testimony of Jesus Christ which is the Spirit of Prophecy.