|
|
|
|
Jesus of the Deep Forest
Dr Clifton R Clarke delineates a Ghanaian view of Jesus Christ as the Fearless One, the Earthkeeper, the Healer and Redeemer.
Jesus of the Deep Forest
(Artwork: © Mafa)
The Akan (an ethnic group in Ghana) experience of Jesus Christ is not one that is confined to personal piety or private devotions but rather one that is shared and experienced in the public arenas of life.
They have no concept of religion as a mere philosophical or theological construct; they know only how to serve God through their encounter with him in daily living.
Theirs is not a Christ of aloof ecclesiastical pietism but a Christ of the market-place bustling with the sound of trade — a Christ of the deep forest where trees come alive and evil spirits abide.
Afua Kuma, a native of the forest town of Obo-Kwahu on the Kwahu mountain ridge in the Eastern Region of Ghana, where she lives, farms and practises as a traditional midwife, enunciates this Akan picture of Christ.
Although illiterate, she has articulated some liberating prayers and praises, which Father Jon Kirby has translated into English from Akan-Twi.
Interestingly, since the publication of her prayers and praises, entitled Jesus of the Deep Forest in 1981, the Twi version, Kwaebirentuw ase Iesu, has been far more popular than its English counterpart.
Such prayers and praises in her vernacular provide a fresh and liberating understanding of Christ, which mirrors the African affinity with the natural environment.
The following is one example:
Tutugyagu: the Fearless One!
You have pulled the teeth of the viper, and there he lies
immoveable as a fallen tree, on which children play!
Adubasapכn: Strong-armed One!
You are the one who has tied death to a tree
so that we may be happy.
Just as you have done in the days of old
Today, you continue to work your wonders!
In the Akan world-view, which is beleaguered with spirits who operate in and through material objects, thus bringing terror to the African heart, Christ is the Fearless One who is not afraid of even the notorious viper, which is often perceived as being the embodiment of the most dangerous of evil spirits. Christ is the Strong-armed One, who, through his resurrection, has conquered death.
For the Akan, death is not the end of a person’s existence but the great disrupter of life. Death hinders the Akan from reaching his/her potential in life for wealth, fame, children, peace, long life, position and so on, here on earth; these are what one prays for and never for death.
Jesus blockades the road of death with wisdom and power.
He, the sharpest of all great swords
has made the forest safe for the hunters.
The mmoatia he has cut to pieces
he has caught Sasabonsam and twisted off his head.
Mmoatia, the mysterious creatures with supernatural powers who live deep in the forest, are believed to be tiny, with feet that point backwards; suspending themselves from trees, they wait for the tired hunter in the pitch darkness of the night. Their head spirit is Sasabonsam with the blood-shot eyes. This ‘Sasabonsam’, in Akan Christian vocabulary, has come to designate the Devil. In the vivid language of the Akan of Ghana, Jesus has twisted off its head.
Jesus is the Hunter gone to the forest: the forest of the Akan world-view that has the Sasabonsam lurking and waiting for its next prey. Here we see a tremendous appropriation of the incarnation of Christ and his victory over evil spirits in the invisible realm of the sasabonsam and his mmoatia, and in the visible realm of the wild creatures such as elephants, which can be manipulated by evil spirits to wreak havoc upon a local village. Jesus not only rescues the hunters but also gives them back the power to subdue and conquer the animals possessed by these evil spirits.
This Akan picture of Christ is of one who also desires to preserve and protect the natural environment.
In a world in which we are now accustomed to hearing alarm bells rung about the extent to which human behaviour, through abuse and excess, is ‘hurting’ the planet through pollution and deforestation, the Akan world-view, which sees humans as stewards of the earth, speaks powerfully.
In his book African Earthkeepers, Marthinus Daneel explores the idea of Christ the Earthkeeper. He argues that the idea of our being good earth stewards has received little attention by African theologians so far.
Drawing upon the ecological practices of the Association of African Earthkeeping Churches (AAEC), an organisation he founded, he sets forth a good praxis of earth-stewardship by African Independent Churches that complements and enhances not only African Christianity generally but written African Christologies in particular.
He states:
By perceiving Christ as earthkeeper, the new family or tribe – the extended family of churches who accept earthkinship and give expression to it by constantly proclaiming the unity of the shoots (churches) in Christ, the vine – receives a new leitmotif: a ministry of earth-care.
Continued on next page...
Published: 12:58 PM :: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 :: 814 views ::
0 Comments
:: Missiology, Research, INSIGHT
Page: 1 of 2 Previous Page | Next Page
Comments
Currently, there are no comments. Be the first to post one!
You must be logged in to post a comment. You can login here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|