“Tete wɔ bi ka, tete wɔ bi kyerɛ” : The remaking of a church community through Adinkra symbolism

This study set out to explore a Christian Church community’s perception of how indigenous philosophies, values and spiritualities encoded in Adinkra symbols influence the making of a church community. The study examines the following: (i) How the symbols, rituals and language embodied in Adinkra symbols have been incorporated into the Grace Presbyterian Church, West Legon, Accra (ii) How this community reconciles both worlds and (iii) How the coming together of two parallel traditions-African and European shape the experiences of the church community. Multiple approaches including semi-structured interviews, photo and video ethnography were employed for data collection (N=30). Key observations made from this study include the repackaging of the typical Reformed approach to worship and the creation of a productive and explorative space for the construction of new religious meanings and experiences.