I come from a village called Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. In my village the elders used to gather all the children at 10 o'clock in the evening to tell us stories about legends and myths. Most of the elders come from the Akan tribe. The Akans believe that during intercourse the sunsum (spirit) from the father mingles with the mogya (blood) of the mother, giving rise to conception. The Akans call God, Onyame - meaning the sky God.
One of the Elders named Agya Obeng told us a myth about why the sky is far away from us. According to him, in days long ago, God used to live closer to mankind and the sky was closer to mankind. God used to spend time with mankind and provided anything we needed immediately. But God moved far away from mankind due to the activities of an old woman. This old woman used to like pounding fufu a lot, which is a food that is a mixture of plantain and casava. The old woman had a long wooden pestle (woman) which she used to pound the fufu. The pestle was disturbing God’s peace when he wanted to rest, and the pestle was also hitting God’s head. God warned the old woman on countless occasions, but she didn't pay heed to God’s warning since fufu is one of the most delicious and favorite foods of the Akans. After waiting for some time God didn't see any changes. He wanted peace to do His important things and rest when necessary. Then, God decided to finally move away from mankind so that he can have peace. Agya concluded that we as children should be obedient. Therefore, the elders tell us myths to inform, persuade, and train us to become good members of society so that we can live a meaningful life.
On one sunny Sunday, Mr. Owen, a member of parliament, gathered the children of the village to tell us more about legends. According to him there are trillions of legends in our community. I asked him: "what is a legend?" He explained that a legend is a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well. Mr. Owen said that the most important legends are the big six. The names of the big six are; Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (the first president of the republic of Ghana), Edward Akuffo Addo, Dr. Ako-Adjei, Williams Ofori Attah, Dr. J.B Danquah and Obetsebi-Lamptey. They are called the big six because they are the great legends of our motherland Ghana, formerly called the Gold-Coast. The big six fought for the freedoms of Ghana and the people in it when we were colonized by the British.
Another great legend he mentioned was Okomfo Anokye. He is remembered and celebrated mostly by the Akans because of his immense contributions. He brought peace in the Ashanti Kingdom and united all the ethnic groups in Akans by commanding the golden stool. This was where he called a golden stool to appear from the sky and it did, landing on the lap of the king at the time: Osei-tutu. Okomfo Anokye will always be remembered because he performed various miracles. In addition to the golden stool Komfo Anokye performed what seemed like magic in front of a big crowd. Komfo Anokye cooked a plantain, planted it, and it immediately germinated. The plantain grew, ripened and was harvested all right there in front of the crowd. He once commanded the rain to stop during a festival. He could walk through rain without getting wet. He could dash a raw egg against a rock, and it wouldn't break. Okomfo Anokye told the world that he was coming to seize and bring death’s key. In Akans culture Death is depicted as a person and taking the key from Death would prevent anyone else from dying. Unfortunately, he didn't return back from this journey. Mr. Owen who is a staunch Christian, explained the fact that Okomfo Anokye challenged the supremacy of God, and he didn't come back because no one except God can prevent the death of an individual, therefore there is life after death, so we should live a life pleasing and accepted by God.
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