Salvaging Nature: The Akan Religio-Cultural Perspective

Awuah-Nyamekye, Samuel

doi:10.1163/136352409x12535203555713

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This study explored the perception and attitudes of local people towards vultures, particularly behaviours that will either support or oppose vulture conservation strategies in Ghana. Vultures are unique birds and have often featured in Ghanaian traditions and folklore as representing strength and patience and they are a species of great importance for some clans, especially the Asakyire clan (Awuah-Nyamekye 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulture declines, threats and conservation: the attitude of the indigenous Ghanaian

Deikumah¹

2019

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryUnderstanding the attitude of people towards vultures, especially factors that influence behaviours that support their conservation, is crucial if the decline in vultures is to be slowed and reversed. Their vital ecosystem function in keeping the environment free of carcasses and reducing the spread of disease is not yet appreciated in Ghana. Little is known about the attitude of Ghanaians’ about vultures. Structured questionnaires and key informant surveys were employed with a sample size of 460 respondents randomly selected across Ghana. Over 85% of respondents were familiar with the Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus and vultures were culturally important to 56% of respondents. Diseases that affect livestock are claimed to be treated with chemicals such as diclofenac sodium to which vultures are highly susceptible globally and livestock carcasses were not available to vultures as 53% of respondents bury carcasses. A new poisoning pathway has emerged in which furadan is used to poison wildlife for bushmeat and the offal removed which is then consumed by vultures, as indicated by 78% of respondents. The majority of respondents positively thought vultures were important and must be protected. Poisoning, habitat loss particularly the loss of silk cotton tree Ceiba pentandra and trade in vulture parts for traditional medicine are major threats to vultures in Ghana. Continuous awareness creation, positive attitude towards the environment, vulture conservation programmes and protection of breeding sites were some urgent conservation actions recommended to ensure the survival of vultures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulture declines, threats and conservation: the attitude of the indigenous Ghanaian

Deikumah¹

2019

Bird Conservation International

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“…Akan is generally spoken by both Akan and non-Akan. Traditional occupations of the Akan of Ghana include farming, fishing, and trading (Awuah-Nyamekye, 2009; Geest, 1998; Gocking, 2005; Owusu-Frempong, 2005).…”

Section: Akan Culture and Worldviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culturally prescribed beliefs about mental illness among the Akan of Ghana

Opare-Henaku

Utsey

2017

Transcult Psychiatry

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Mental illness is a culturally laden phenomenon, and different cultures have unique ways of constructing mental illness. In this study, conceptions of mental illness were explored among 30 participants of Akan descent in Ghana through individual and group interviews. Participants demonstrated a wide range of knowledge on mental illness indicating that poor self-care, deficits in social functioning, and disordered behaviors are the cardinal features of mental illness. The data revealed that Akan cultural beliefs influenced notions of etiology of mental illness and care of the mentally ill. While participants recognized the role of multiple factors such as genetics, substance abuse, daily hassles (for example, concerns about basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter), and trauma in the cause of mental illness, the predominant belief was that mental illness is a retributive and/or a spiritual illness. This belief encourages pluralistic health-seeking behaviors: use of hospitals, prayer camps, herbalists, and traditional healers. The implications of these findings for public health education on mental illness, and clinical training and practice are discussed.

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“…In his view, the failure can be attributed to the neglect of two important related areas, namely African religious traditions and cultural values. Awuah-Nyamkeye (2009) brings to the fore some of the means that Akan indigenous religion and culture have used over the years to 89  sustain the balance of the ecosystem. He argues that there has to be an integration of the perspectives of science and of indigenous spiritualties and culture to provide a lasting solution to Ghana's environmental problems.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking Environmental Sustainability through the Ndau Notion of Communal Existence

Sipeyiye¹

2020

Mother Earth, Mother Africa &Amp; African Indigenous Religions

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The twenty-first century faces a life-threatening environmental crisis of unprecedented magnitude. Scientists posit that the balance of life on the planet Earth is in danger as a result of human activities. Religions have not been seriously considered as potential partners in providing solutions to the crisis, but are in fact often blamed for causing it. This can be explained by the misleading disenchantment theory that holds that religions expose nature to exploitation by humans, as they teach that humans are distinct from nature and have a divinely sanctioned right to exploit it. A rethinking of religion in environmental discourse proves otherwise. African Indigenous Religions, for instance, are biocentric as they see all living beings as elements of one interdependent spiritual community. In this chapter, I use the Ndau notion of communal existence to pursue themes of interconnectedness, reverence, embeddedness and reciprocity with nature that can advance the agenda for environmental sustainability. The chapter begins with a brief discussion of the identity of the Ndau and a description of their religio-cultural value system, and finally unpacks the notion of communal existence in the Ndau religious world view, finding synergies with the wider environmental protection agenda. The approach in the chapter is qualitative for it seeks to access the meaning embedded in the rich religious and or spiritual life of the Ndau in the context of the environmental crisis through in-depth interviews.

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Salvaging Nature: The Akan Religio-Cultural Perspective

Cited by 25 publications

References 5 publications

Vulture declines, threats and conservation: the attitude of the indigenous Ghanaian

Vulture declines, threats and conservation: the attitude of the indigenous Ghanaian

Culturally prescribed beliefs about mental illness among the Akan of Ghana

Rethinking Environmental Sustainability through the Ndau Notion of Communal Existence

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