Adinkra Symbols:

Literacy 85). Only when non-Western cultures have phonetic or alphabetic features in
their writing system are they defined as true writing systems for example when Ong
describes the Vai and Egyptian systems of writing which he says are “intermediate
stages” (Orality and Literacy 85). Moreover, systems that are not based on sounds of
speech and are instead based on pictures or ideas are defined as being in a developmental
stage in the writing process, which infers that there is an advanced system of writing that
all other systems are progressing towards.
The result of this hierarchy of writing systems is that many African writing
systems in particular Ghana’s Adinkra symbols are rarely discussed or examined as
writing because they are unlike Western writing systems. Upon first glance by the casual
observer, Adinkra does not seem to be writing. In fact it is usually carved or stamped
onto a myriad of mediums and is not written (as we think of the action of writing) onto
anything at all. However, Adinkra is a writing system, an ideographic script—a script that
has symbols that represent ideas—which is not recognized as such because it does not
contain the attributes of Western writing systems which are depicted as ideal. Adinkra’s
inclusion as a writing system, without labeling it as ‘untrue’, would be a step in
eliminating the stigma of Otherness placed on African culture and give greater insight
into a unique and creative writing invention developed in a culture very different from
our own.
What are Adinkra Symbols?
Adinkra symbols are relatively unknown around the world; however, in Ghana
they are everywhere; on chairs, buildings, houses, and clothes. So what are Adinkra
symbols and in particular how do they look? Adinkra are often defined as symbols (and
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