“Christ our perfect sacrifice: The
Odwira festival and Christianity in contemporary Ghana”
She started by exposing the
missionaries misconception of the African beliefs and festivals, and some
rituals.
On the belief in Abosom by the Akans, she said the early European missionaries
equated the Abosom to the Supreme Being; Onyankopon, which was wrong in the
Akan concept of God. The Akans refer to the Supreme Being as Onyankopon who is
the “All powerful God who is the creator of the universe”. The Abosom were the mediators between the
Onyankopon and humans. She intimated that it would have been more appropriate
if the Abosom were equated to Christ Jesus who is the mediator between Yahweh
and the Jews and not Yahweh. This is because the Onyankopon of the Akans is
unequal and incomparable. The missionaries concept seem to elevate the Abosom
to position of the Onyankopon and so saw the Abosom as enemies that must be
fought.
She contended with the Akan Christian
chorus that goes like this:
Yen nananom, yen nananom
Yen nananom som abosom
Na yen de, Na yen de
Na yen de yebesom Yehowah.
If the abosom are mediators then the
chorus should have been:
Yen nananom yen nananom
Yen nananom Som abosom
Na yen de na yen de
Na yen de yebesom Yesu.
She narrated the history of the
Odwira festival of the Akuapems. She said the origin of the festival in the
Akuapeman dates back to the 1826. The first Odwira festival was celebrated on
the 26th September, 1826. History has it that there was a war
between the Akuapems and Asantes during which three regalia were captured from
the Asantes.
One of the regalia that were captured
was called Odosu which requires that
the Odwira festival be celebrated to cleanse the Akuapeman so they can enjoy
the benefit of it. So the origin of the Odwira festival was the Odosu; regalia that was captured during
the war.
The activities performed during the
week of the festival are summed up below:
Monday: Path
clearing. It is believed that those who returned from the battle during which
the Odosu was captured rested and settled, thus, a distance from the town.
Their spirits (ancestors) are resting there and so they need to come home. This
path clearing makes the way smooth for them to come.
Tuesday: New
yam is outdoored. The elders go to the place believed to be the resting place
of the ancestors to bring them home. A herbal preparation is made and as they
get to the chief’s house with it, it signifies the bringing in of the Odwira.
Wednesday:
This day is for remembrance of the departed souls and reflection of their
lives. On this day, the people dress in mourning outfits (red or black). The
chief and some elders go round and console those who lost their precious ones
during the year.
Wednesday night is designated for
washing of the black stools of the kingdom. These stools are carried to the
riverside and are washed there. Tradition requires that no one other than the royals’
in-charge of washing the stools would see it, therefore, there is curfew in
town.
Thursday: This
is New Year’s Day. At dawn a sheep would be slaughtered in the middle of the
house and before the sheep dies, the men would carry it to the threshold of the
house so the blood would be splashed on the floor to the entrance of the house.
The purpose is that, the blood would cleanse all the sins of the house
(family).
The dress code for the day is white
outfit. Ban on drumming is also lifted on this day. Thursday night too is
declared curfew because the Odosu is brought to the middle of the town and the
significance is that, it cleanses the nation (Akuapeman) from all filth (efi)
and all evil spirits.
Friday: This
day is a durbar day. The Omanhene would deliver his New Year message to his
people and encourage them to live morally sound lives so the year would be
successful to Akuapeman.
Saturday: Not much
activity is held on this day.
Sunday: This
is Thanksgiving Day. The whole community would attend church service to thank
Onyankopon for taking them through a successful year. The thanksgiving is held
at the chapel (Onyankoponfie) because they believe that, there is the designated
house where His presence is.
It must be well stated that, without
the Odosu, there cannot be any cleansing (or purification).
THE NEED FOR ODWIRA FESTIVAL
The Akan word “Dwira” means “to cleanse” or “to purify”. The Akans belief that, efi (filth) defiles the good spirits and
the Abosom – who are the mediators
between them and the Onyankopon. When
there is “efi” the good spirits and
the Abosom cannot properly mediate
between humans and the Onyankopon. This
also prevents the blessing of Onyankopon
from coming to them. That is to say the mediators become offended and there is
the need to dwira (purify or cleanse)
themselves or the state from such efi.
Two things constitute efi; “bone” and “musuo” or “musu”.
“Bone”
is the evil acts people commit against their fellow men, for example stealing,
cheating, insults, fornication, etc.
“Musu”
consist of those evil acts that people commit which not only affect their
fellow man but also affect the Ahomhom
papa (the good spirits) for example adultery,
murder, rape, incest, etc.
“Musu”
and “bone” together constitute “efi”.
The lecturer mentioned that, the Odosu is the centre of the cleansing but
it is also because of the Odosu that
some Christians are against the Odwira.
The Christians claim that since the Odosu
is the centre pillar of the Odwira,
the festival is celebrated to honor the deity.
She took us to the Bible and quoted
instances where in the Old Testament, God set a day of atonement for the
Israelites and indicated that, that was for cleansing. Leviticus 16.
Hebrews 1:1 God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed
heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.
3 His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance,
and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made
purification for our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a
heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the
flesh:
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works
to serve the living God?
Hebrews 10:11 Every priest indeed stands day by day ministering and often
offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins,
12 but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down
on the right hand of God;
She inferred from these passages of
scripture and stated that, the periodic nature of this atonement and
purification of the people both in the Jewish and the Akuapem Odwira context
suggested that, the cleansing was not effective enough to deal with the sins of
the people once and for all. That is why Christ Jesus with His own blood has
done it once and for all for all humanity.
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