Running Head: AKUABA
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The West African Fertility Doll
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
AKUABA
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In the African society, the children were central to the family lineage, they symbolized the vitality
of the husband and were considered the wealth of the community. Leyten (2015) explains that a
man who had many children was considered very wealthy and even held key leadership position
and status in the community. Therefore, the lack of children was unacceptable and the inability to
conceive was a burden that was placed squarely on the woman and associated with a curse/evil
spirits as opposed to a medical condition (Leyten, 2015). It is therefore interesting that women
from the Asante/Ashanti tribe in Ghana (West Africa) overcame their barrenness by the customary
carrying of a fertility doll.
The doll is a flattened wooden carving of a female figure which is about 27h x 9 w x 4t cm in
dimensions. Leyten (2015) describes the doll as having a forehead that is high and oval/disk like
shape with rings on the neck, a delicate mouth low on the face and small scars below the eyes. The
arms are horizontal with a cylindrical torso ending in a base as opposed to legs (Leyten, 2015).
As I interviewed Okofa, he could not explain how the Akuaba enhanced women fertility. Leyten
(2015) concurs with this fact when he explains that when the missionaries and the explorers came
to West Africa, they virtually demonized most of the African cultural practices and customs
dismissing them as primitive. However, they could not explain let alone dispute the effectiveness
of the Akuaba’s ‘supernatural powers.’ This was due to the fact that there were a number of
testimonials in relation to it having influenced pregnancy and enabled women give birth to
beautiful babies (Leyten, 2015).
Okofa tells me that today, the Akuaba is mostly used in the museums as historical and cultural
artifacts, however it would not be shocking to find people who still hold on to this practice, after
all, customs and cultural practices that are considered to be beneficial are not easily abandoned.
AKUABA
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Reference
Leyten, H. (2015). From Idol to Art. African ‘Objects with Power:’ a challenge for Missionaries,
Anthropologists and Museum Curators.