Riehlife Poems of the Day from Ghana: “Sankofa: Adinkra Poems” by A. Kayper-Mensah

Byriehlifegrace

Riehlife’s April poetry editor for National Poetry Month Stephanie Farrow is a fine poet in her own right and a close friend since we served in Peace Corps Ghana in the 1970s. Stephanie selected these Adinkra poems by A. Kayper-Mensah (Sankofa: Adinkra Poems) Stephanie tells us: Adinkra symbols are pictographs that reflect a specific proverb…

Sankofa, Return (Reach Back) and Fetch It—Adinkra Symbols Define Path in a Woman’s Life

Byriehlifegrace

Sankofa can mean either the word in the Akan language of Ghana that translates in English to “go back and take” (Sanko- go back, fa- take) or the Asante Adinkra symbol. A cloth supporting Adinkra symbols is termed an “Adinkra cloth” and has its own particular uses and meanings. As a young woman in the…