nkrabea and yuan in akan and chinese: cultural intersections and communication implications in an...

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DOI: 10.1177/0021934713476891 2013 44: 119Journal of Black Studies

Molefi Kete Asante and Rosemary ChaiCommunication Implications in an African and an Asian Society

in Akan and Chinese: Cultural Intersections andYuan andNkrabea

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Journal of Black Studies44(2) 119 136

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JBS 44 2 10.1177/0021934713476891Journal of Black StudiesAsanteand Chai TheAuthor(s) 2011

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1Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA2SCAD Hong Kong, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Corresponding Author:

Molefi Kete Asante, Temple University, African American Studies, 1115 Pollett Walk, GladfelterHall 810, Philadelphia, PA l9122.Email: Masante@/temple.edu

Nkrabea and Yuan in Akanand Chinese: CulturalIntersections andCommunicationImplications in an Africanand an Asian Society

Molefi Kete Asante 1 and Rosemary Chai 2

AbstractThere are two central propositions in our epistemological essay on cultureand communication in human communities. The first is that Western schol-ars tend to study African and Asian cultures in relationship only to West-ern culture. Therefore, one may see comparative studies of American and

Japanese responses to communication or British and Nigerian systems ofvalues and respect. What is rare is to see how Japanese and Nigerian culturesinteract, compare, or contrast. The second proposition is that most researchwork done in the social sciences and communication carries forth conceptsand ideas grounded in Western epistemology. Ideas that originate in ancientAsian and African cultures are slighted for those that have emerged out of the

Greek-Roman cultural matrix. By exploring the concept of destiny, we seek todemonstrate how African and Asian concepts can provide important informa-tion about the way humans communicate. Thus, nkrabea and yuan from theAkan and Chinese cultures are examined for communication implications.

Article


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120 Journal of Black Studies 44(2)

Keywordscommunication, destiny, culture, ideology

A Prologue to Cultural Dialogue

There are two central propositions in our epistemological essay on cultureand communication in human communities. The first is that Western scholarstend to study African and Asian cultures in relationship only to Western cul-ture. Therefore, one may see comparative studies of American and Japaneseresponses to communication or British and Nigerian systems of values andrespect. What is rare is to see how Japanese and Nigerian cultures interact,compare, or contrast. The second proposition is that most research work donein the social sciences and communication carries forth concepts and ideasgrounded in Western epistemology. Ideas that originate in ancient Asian andAfrican cultures are slighted for those that have emerged out of the Greek-Roman cultural matrix. By exploring the concept of destiny, we seek todemonstrate how African and Asian concepts can provide important informa-tion about the way humans communicate.

There are those who question why these ideas have not become standardwithin the discourses on communication, culture, and behavior. In the first

place, the studies of human communication that we use in the West are largelyderived from European classical ideas (Ishii, 2001). Thus, the works of Plato,Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, and other ancient Europeans inform the moderndiscussions of rhetoric, interpersonal communication, and even interculturalcommunication. What we mean is that the assumptions of those fields aresituated in the context of Europes own history. However, we have come to

understand over the past 30 to 40 years that in order for social scientists, art-ists, and communicationists to create a universal theory of human communi-cation, we need to open our minds to the varieties of human experiences.Fortunately, the field of communication has numerous interculturalists whohave added to the plural understanding of how humans communicate (Miike,2002). Africanists have sought to advance the philosophy that agency is acomponent of all cultures, and therefore, in any academic discipline, it isreasonable to expect that people from various societies will have conceptsthat are useful (Karenga, 2006; Mazama, 2003).

Since we know from the research of many scholars in intercultural andinternational communication that Asian and African communities often oper-ate on the basis of different value assumptions than those in the West, it isimportant that we continue the creation of a body of work that supports global


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Asante and Chai 121

theorizing in culture and communication. Consequently, we have spent con-siderable time seeking to bring societies and cultures together through exami-nation of major concepts, such as face, trust, respect, and power. Globalizationand new technologies have made the world smaller, producing more aware-ness of conflicts. Yet there are other interactions that should allow us to enter-tain approaches to major human concepts that we have not experienced

before. To make the world better, by which we mean, to make humans moresatisfied with their lives and situations, we must know more about each other.

Western domination of intellectual ideas about Asia and Africa has oftenmeant that the authentic voices of Asian and African people have rarely beenheard. Of course, in the case of the ancient histories of Asia and Africa, thereare considerable literatures, but yet there has been limited information thathas made its way into the discourse on communication. Few scholars in theWest are familiar with the classical African philosophers, such as Duauf,Amemomope, Merikare, Akhenaten, Imhotep, and Amenemhat (Asante,2000). While more Westerners know Confucius and Laotzu, they are essen-tially ignorant of other Asian thinkers. The efforts made by Asian scholars inthe past decades have been noteworthy in the advancement of Asianapproaches in communication theories (Chen & An, 2009; Chen & Chung,

2004; Dissanayake, 2003; Kim, 2001; Miike, 2002; Miike & Chen, 2003,2006). Significant work has been done on Asian concepts in communication(Kim, 2005; Miike, 2009). Although it is recognized that the hegemony ofEuropean-centered ideology and theories continues to dominate the thinkingof communicationists, progress is being made in reinterpreting how Asianculture is seen (Miike, 2010). In the same vein, numerous Afrocentric schol-ars have articulated the value of African ideas for communication (Asante,2008; Blake, 2009; Karenga, 2006; Mazama, 2003). The process is an ongo-

ing one that will continue to benefit critical thinkers.

Toward a Conference of Ideas Around Destiny This essay interrogates the complex dimensions that people in China andGhana understand about the idea of destiny. In ancient European thinking,destiny carried the idea of Fates. It had the meaning of something that is

bound to happen to a person; it might even be called fortune or luck. Whatwe wanted to explore in this article is how this term has come into use in anAfrican and an Asian context. Of course, we are unable to discuss all of theexamples in Asia or Africa and therefore have limited our discourse tomeditations on the use of the concept of destiny in China and Ghana.Actually, in China, we have utilized the dominant Han culture, and in Ghana,


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we have used the dominant Akan culture as sites for our exploration of des-tiny. Thus, the limitations of this article are clear: We are not trying to explainall of Asia or all of Africa, yet we believe that an understanding of these two

powerful cultures might give us some insight for intercultural relations.Destiny is not the only concept that scholars have examined for its varia-

tion in culture. Harry C. Triandis (1993) has contended that individualism andcollectivism have often been used to provide a universal framework for cul-tural variation. John Mbiti (1992) examined the idea of religion in Africanculture with an eye toward demonstrating how Africans arrive at different con-clusions than Westerners. Some people claim that Asians are more high con-text and indirect whereas White Americans are more low context, verbose,and direct. Communication modes among Asians tend to be more nuanced,more complex, and less straightforward as they are more skillful than Westerncounterparts in deciphering nonverbal cues and the surrounding context.White Americans, more sender oriented than Asians, who are more adept inexpressing complicated nuances and unspoken underlying meanings, are theo-rized to be more direct and low context in their interaction with others.

The intricate concept of face in Asian communication is inextricablyinterwoven with Asians predilection for high-context communicative

behavior. Some claim that this predilection has its roots in Confucianism.From this philosophy, it is argued that the greatest spiritual achievement inones life is the search for a harmonious relationship with others. Among thevalues that are highly valued are duty, sincerity, loyalty, modesty, deferenceto authority, and avoidance of direct confrontation. Western philosophicaltraditions are thought to be more linear in explaining the process of interper-sonal relationships. Westerners tend to experience more difficulties andchallenges in accommodating and acculturating to the subtle ways of Asian

communicative behavior than the more versatile, flexible, and culturallyinformed Asians, who are better able to adapt to Western culture and life-style (Chai & Fontaine, 2007).

While the cultures of Asia and Africa are complex, dynamic, diverse,heterogeneous, and infused with their own distinct histories, cultures, andcharacter, they must also be seen for their diversity. Yet the idea of destinymay hold useful lessons for the concept of cultural agency. In Ghana in WestAfrica, the idea of nkrabea is similar to the Chinese idea of yuan , and yet ascan be expected, there are differences. Exploration of the similarities anddifferences will assist in building a truly intercultural understanding.

Numerous scholars are approaching concepts with a more intense concentra-tion on the thoughts of those usually unheard in the Western academy(Bellegarde-Smith, 2005).


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Asante and Chai 123

Nkrabea and Yuanfen

In Akan culture, the idea of nkrabea is at the base of a spiritual relationshipa person has to reality and others (Opoku, 1975/2010). Thus, some peoplethink that a certain form of destiny, such as to become a leader of a commu-nity, is reflected in the term nkrabea . Yet one does not have to see thefuture or hear voices that dictate ones personal direction in order to expe-rience nkrabea . However, nkrabea allows a person to expect a positive rela-tionship with nature, family, friends, and ancestors. When two people meet,they are meeting as two individuals with different nkrabea , and therefore inthe meeting, they are always working out the relationship of their nkrabea toeach other.

Consequently, to the African in Ghana, success in human relationships orcommunication might be said to depend upon nkrabea . On the other hand, tothe Chinese, intercultural relationships, interpersonal relationships, and suc-cess of interactions depend on yuan. Relationships in China are viewed mul-tidirectionally, the primary cause is within the control of individuals, and theguide is from Confucianism because it is seen as the principle ethos forhumanistic being. The choice is up to the individual whether to display

benevolence ( ren ) and righteousness ( yi) in a relationship. In other words, arelationship may succeed on the premise of making wise choices that maylead to a healthy outcome of the relationship. Yuan may be considered sec-ondary to the persons decision. In the Buddhist version of the philosophy,

yuan is considered to be pivotal in determining the length of relationship, thetime and place of encounter, and the process in which the relationship growsor digresses. Therefore, while Chinese may attempt to ensure that all goeswell in their association by making right choices based on the ethos of

Confucianism, the outcome could still turn out to be disastrous in the absenceof yuan . Europeans tend to believe that interpersonal relationships can beworked out through personal effort; to the Chinese, without positive yuan ,nothing may seem to work. Africans, especially in the Akan culture, believethat many things are determined even before birth and therefore a personsnkrabea is always at work. A persons life is spent seeking to ensure that heor she is on the path toward his or her destiny. Some people may never findthe path, and when they are dislocated, they are under great stress and pres-sure to do all within their power to make the proper decisions in order toregain a sense of place and location on the road to destiny. Among theChinese, yuan has been defined as something that supports, assists, or coop-erates with an event rather than being the precise cause of it. Thus, yuan isdifferent from yin, which is the direct cause of something. Yuan can be called


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the circumstantial or secondary cause, whereas yin may be called the direct orfundamental cause of action. Yuan anchors all interpersonal relationships.They can last only as long as yuan is present. Consequently, relationships aredissolved when yuan is no longer present.

Yuan in Chinese SocietyYuan has its origin in Buddhism and is found in the beliefs of predestinationand fatalism. The development of interpersonal relationships, particularly intraditional Chinese society, is held to be predestined, predetermined, andunalterable. While Confucianism specifies the roles and rules in dealingwith different relationships between (a) the ruler and the ruled, (b) fathersand sons, (c) husband and wife, (d) siblings, and (e) friends, it does notexplain the complexities and intricacies of interpersonal relationships. Yuan fills the gap.

Chinese scholars have used the lotus plant to explain the difference between yin and yuan :

The lotus seed is the yin, but it cannot grow by itself into a plant; rather

its growth is aided by human effort, soil fertilizers, sunlight, air, and a pond or earthen pot filled with water. These are the necessary condi-tions for the growth of the lotus plant and, as such, are the assisting

yuan . (Sun, 2008, p. 96)

In order for a thing to exist, the yuan must be present and ignited (Sun,2008). There is the beginning (ignition) of yuan to start with, and the declineof yuan ( yuan qi yuan mie ) explains the life cycle of things, including inter-

personal relationships (Sun, 2008).The meaning of yuan may be broken down in three main categories,according to (a) the duration, (b) the quality or nature of relationship formed,and (c) the type.

Two different kinds of yuan are found in the category of duration: yuanfen and jiyuan ( yuan of opportunity or chance). Yuanfen is thought to have per-manent influence, and jiyuan is the yuan of temporary interaction (Yang &Ho, 1988). Yuanfen determines all lasing relationships involving familymembers, relatives, friends, or colleagues. Jiyuan , on the other hand, isthought to exist when two or more persons find themselves riding on thesame tour bus, staying in the same hotel, or even experiencing similar misfor-tunate. The quality of yuan can be broken down into good yuan (liang yuan )and bad or evil yuan (nie yuan ). Good yuan is said to be a gift from heaven,


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Asante and Chai 125

while nie yuan stems from the manufacturing of negative karma ( zao nie ); theeffect is not an act of heaven but, as we see also in Akan culture, the conse-quences of human acts. A long-lasting friendship is thought to be of good

yuan , while a relationship that ends in a catastrophic fashion, such as one partners taking the life of another, is considered nie yuan.

Yuan by type is categorized by functions served. Yuan by type cuts acrossa wide spectrum of activities that individuals engage in. For example, yuan ofmarriage must be present for love to be consummated; the yuan of healing,for an illness to be successfully diagnosed and treated; the yuan with books,for a student to excel academically (otherwise the student is said to have no

yuan with books [ shu yuan ]; and the yuan in gambling, for one to win (ifsomeone keeps losing in a game of chance, he or she is said to have no yuan in winning at a gambling [ du yuan ]).

Yang and Ho (1988) argue,

The formation of interpersonal relationships is held to be predestinedand therefore unalterable. Yuan is said to predetermine whether a rela-tionship will be characterized by attractive or repulsionwhich is whysome relationships are harmonious and fortunate, whereas others are

awkward and even disastrous. Close relationshipssuch as those between father and son, or husband and wifeare supposed to resultfrom yuan ; and so are superficial acquaintanceshipssuch as thoseformed following a casual meeting. Indeed, yuan is said to exert itsinfluence in virtually all interpersonal relationships . . . on the basis of

predestined affinity or enmity. (pp. 59-60)

For the Chinese, yuan is pivotal in any form of interpersonal encounter,

ranging from superficial to committed relationships. Yuan is placed in thecentral role of relationships as reflected in these idioms clearly articulated bySun (2008):

1. You yuan qian lilai xiang hui, wu yuan dui mian bu xiang feng .Translated, it means that if yuan is present, people will travel thou-sands of miles to meet each other. However, if there is no yuan , two

people might have a face-to-face encounter and not have any formof connection at all.

2. Yin yuan bens hi qian sheng ding, bus hi yin yuan mo qiang qiu. Translated, it means that the yuan available to form an intimate ormarital relationship is predetermined in ones past lives. If such

yuan does not exist, one should not forcibly try to make it happen.


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The Expressions of Yuan

Some key Chinese language expressions relating to yuan articulated byChang and Holt (1991) are summarized as follows:

1. Presence or absence of association: As stated earlier, success or fail-ure in relationships between two people is dependent on whethertwo people have yuan . Two common expressions to describe suchsituation are yu yuan , meaning to have yuan , and wu yuan , mean-ing not to have yuan. For the Chinese experiencing wu yuan,

yuan is used as a defense mechanism to save ones face and as aform of consolation. For example, a couple may love each other(presence of emotions) but the unfortunate existing conditions donot allow them to be together; hence they comfort themselves bysaying, Perhaps in the next life, we can have yuan .

2. Bad relationship: Nie yuan describes a bad relationship. Nie isan extremely derogatory term that simply means very bad, or therelationship cannot work out. An example is when two people, eachmarried to someone else, develop feelings for each other. It could

also apply to when two people, married to each other only to findout later that they do not love each other, finally get a divorce.

3. Matched yuan (tou yuan ). An example of tou yuan is when two people meet and one party feels very comfortable and connectedwith the other. Even two people with very different personalitiesmay experience tou yuan

4. Unmatched yuan (bu tou yuan ). The opposite of matched yuan , one party feels uncomfortable with the other person not because of dif-

ferences in personality incompatibilities but because of a feelingthat the association with the other is just not right.5. Human yuan: Ren yuan refers to people who are generally very

likable by othersa relation between a person and a group of people. Personality, in this respect, plays a large part when a per-son has ren yen .

6. Follow yuan: Sui yuan exists when one does not force contact withanother person but allows things to fall naturally. If it works out, itworks out; if it does not, it is better to leave it than to strategize thesituation so that things might work out.

7. Xi yuan : Cherish yuan extends mere follow yuan . Instead of justallowing things to fall naturally, xi yuan is proactive and filled withaction. For example, for two people to remain together, they have to


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Asante and Chai 127

do their best to maintain their relationship. Hence, treasuring rela-tionships here and now is important as mere follow yuan might betoo passive.

A recent preliminary study among a sample of Hong Kong residents, ofwhom 86% were college students between the ages of 18 and 33, revealed asignificant, positive correlation between participants belief in yuan and rela-tionship satisfaction (Chen, 2009). In another study, among the Taiwanese

participants, extended interviews with 10 graduate students revealed that theBuddhist conception of yuan plays a significant role in structuring howChinese think about their interpersonal relationships (Chang & Holt, 1991).In another study that explored contemporary conceptions of yuan , surveysdistributed to more than 500 students from a Taiwan and Hong Kong univer-sity resulted in three themes: (a) conceptions of yuan and yuanfen , (b) beliefor disbelief in yuan , and (c) relationships involving yuan . Using statisticalanalysis to examine the responses, the authors found that 62% of the partici-

pants subscribed to the notion of yuan as changeable, unpredictable, oruncontrollable. The category on whether participants believe or do not believein yuan revealed that a high percentage of them subscribe to the Chinese say-

ings attributed to yuan (Yang & Ho, 1988). It appears that many Chinese still believe in the power of yuan ; however, they also feel that whether a relation-ship works out or not can be affected by the individual. Indeed, in the classic

book The Art of War , Tzu Sun (2008) says one of the heads that must beanswered by the one who will engage in war is with whom lie the advantagederived from Heaven and Earth (p. 17).

Although the association between yuan and traditional Buddhist beliefshas weakened (Yang & Ho, 1988), the belief in yuan is a reality for most

young Chinese today (particularly, students), given the results of four studiesthat have so far been conducted in the past 20 years (Chang & Holt, 1991;Chen, 2010; Yang & Ho, 1988). These young people see themselves as themodern Chinese, who are separate from both Westerners and traditionalChinese but still maintain a stronghold of Chineseness in their cultural beliefsand practices (Bond, 1991; Goodwin & Findlay, 1997). Yuan is no longerseen as fatalistic but is considered fatalistic voluntarism, in which the con-ception of relationships is no longer dichotomized as either predestined or

brought upon by personal choice and effort but, rather, is seen as a combina-tion of the two forces.

Three elements in fatalistic voluntarism are highlighted (Sun, 2008):

1. It does not negate the notion of predestination.


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2. It emphasizes that achievement is possible through personal effortand willpower.

3. It empowers individuals to transform predestinations into motiva-tion for achievement.

Representing a crossroads of the old and new, the concept does not seek tonegate the importance of yuan , but it empowers the individual to take respon-sibility for his or her actions. Fatalistic voluntarism provides an explanationwhen a relationship is not working out, using yuan as the reason for its nega-tive outcome, thereby creating equilibrium and possibly peace of mind. Byattributing failures to some external, unknown, but credible forces alleviatesan individual from blaming others or himself or herself (Sun, 2008). Freedom

plays a significant role in Chinese cultural understanding along the contin-uum of yuan traditional beliefs (fatalistic determinism and predestination) atone end and modernistic yuan beliefs (congeniality, harmony, and comfort) atthe other end.

The culture of China is ancient. Among the earliest philosophers in Chinawere Confucius and Laotzu. While Confucianism has much impact in thesocial and political value system, Buddhism came in during the Han dynasty

as a philosophy with elements of karma and predestination. Actually, karmais associated with the idea of what we were born with, and predestination isan aspect of what we can expect. Yuan predetermines whether two people areable to get along and establish a close bond and relationship. The predestinedaffinity or enmity between the two parties depends largely on whether theyhave yuan or no yuan. Yuan fen is the idea that when things happen to a per-son in a wonderful way, the person has experienced yuan fen . This is a goodquality. Thus, when communication between two persons appears to be easy,

comfortable, and without problems, it is possible to say that yuan fen existsin that situation.

Origin of Nkrabea in GhanaThe classical civilizations of Africa are Kemet and Nubia, two Nile Valleycultures that have influenced many aspects of African life from libation to

burial, from ancestral reverence to reincarnation. Ghana is located in WestAfrica and among the many ethnic groups in Ghana are the Akan, the largestgroup, with kinship affinity to ancient Kemet (Meyerowitz, 1960). Amongthe Akan, there is a general belief in human destiny. The idea of destinyrecognizes both the power of the unknown as well as the limitations ofhuman beings. The word for destiny in the Akan language is nkrabea .


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Asante and Chai 129

Everyone is born with nkrabea ; there cannot be a human without it becauseit is something that comes with birth itself. It is composed of several impor-tant elements. In the first place, the verb kra means to take leave of or to

bid farewell to the realm of the unknown so as to capture the idea that whenone is born, one is actually saying goodbye to Providence. Nkrabea literallymeans the manner in which a soul departs for the earth. One may call thisfate, life, granted life, or prescribed lot. The idea also carries with itthe manner of ones death; that is, it is fixed beforehand and remainsunchanged.

The Wisdom of the EldersSince the Akan believe that a person receives his or her nkra from theDivinity prior to entering the earth, the nkra , message, is a link between thehuman and the divine. As Kwame Gyekye (1996) and Kofi Asare Opoku(1975/2010), two of Ghanas leading intellectuals, understood, there arenumerous expressions in Akan that refer to the nkrabea of a person. Forexample, the Akan have these important sayings:

The yam that will burn when fried will also burn when boiled.The tree that will shed its leaves knows no rainy season.

If you are destined to die by the gun, you will not die by the arrow.What is destined to succeed will not fail to prosper.

If wood remains in the water for a thousand years, it will never becomea crocodile.

In these passages, the Akan philosophers are stating the precise idea that all

things have their own nkra as dictated before they began to function. In fact,wood will remain wood and will never become a crocodile because the des-tiny of wood and the destiny of a crocodile are different. One can say that thetree that sheds its leaves is not a tree of the tropic regions because the destinyhas already been decided. Like the tree or the crocodile, the human being hasa particular destiny. While the idea of destiny is often thought of in connec-tion with free will, determinism, and punishment, the African thinkers whodesigned the concept for the Akan society had their own reasons for doingso. As Gyekye (1995) observed, in Akan, if a thing is named, then it is real.Furthermore, each human being has one head, but heads differ; so it is withdestiny. There are many destinies according to the number of human beings,

but all humans have destiny. Thus, the Akan notion of nkrabea is tied toDivine Providence in a way that yuanfen is not. Indeed, Western humanism


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also emphasizes the idea of the evolution of human beings that may run in adifferent manner than nkrabea. The Akan thinkers found their notion ofnkrabea in the experiences of human being. Thus, abrabo , human life, deter-mines the location of all thoughts about nkrabea . In the mind of the Akan,one cannot live in a village among other human beings and not see that des-tiny is real. Quite frankly, if one observes life, one will see that different

people have certain propensities, talents, and abilities, and that some other people demonstrate in their lives the reality of fortune, misfortune, disap- pointments, joys, and richness whereas others do not experience life in thesame way. This is the basis for nkrabea ; it is found in the individuality of thehuman experience.

We can see that there are individuals who seem to have good fortune allthe time, and then there are those who seem to be constantly in trouble. Theseare the ideas that suggest nkrabea to the Akan thinker. However, if a personcommits an act ( asiane ) not influenced by destiny, which means that it is anaccidental act, then he or she will not commit it again. Such an act is easilycorrected. Yet if a person commits an act that is influenced by destiny, this isshown to be a part of the persons unalterable character. It is the persistenceof an activity that dictates whether or not it is a part of destiny. The Akan say

that it is your destiny that makes you who you are. The same is true for everyindividual, and therefore, the key for human society has to be the uniquenessof each person in communication with others. There is an expression, obiarane ne nkrabea , which literally means each person has his own destiny.

The centrality of human beings in the universe is a part of the African ideaof destiny. This means that the person must show respect and reverence for

both the visible and the invisible spheres of life (Magesa, 1998, p. 72).Magesa (1998) says of the finality of the human being that sociability with

all people and harmony with the universe is the guiding ethical principle(p. 72). Now what are the implications of this principle for communication?It is important to remember that in the Akan view, the human must be in har-mony with both the animate and the inanimate worlds in order to claim theenergies and vital forces in them.

The Akan say, Nkrabea mu nni kwatibea . This means that the destinyone has been assigned cannot be escaped. In effect, the order that has beengiven is settled and cannot be altered unless one carries out certain rituals toalleviate the harshest aspect of ones destiny. So for nkrabea to be fixed doesnot mean that it is immutable; it means only that if one believes that his or herdestiny is negative, then ritual is necessary to change the destiny. However, itis not easy. One must learn to come to terms with ones destiny rather than tryto change it.


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It is believed that a persons okra receives his or her destiny before birth.Thus the nkrabea is often called the hy3bea , which means the way and man-ner in which ones destiny was ordered. Once the okra , similar to Westernidea of soul, has been imprinted with destiny, a person enters the world withcertain attributes that would assist in achieving the destiny. Since the idea ofdestiny is not like saying that ones destiny is to be a teacher, engineer, law-yer, or any other professional occupation but, rather, like saying that onescharacter will reflect justice, mercy, truth, righteousness, and goodness, onecan see just how critical it is for a person to communicate with others.Everyone wishes for a good destiny. It is an indication that the person fitswell in the community of ancestors as well as among the living. A good des-tiny is akraye ; a bad destiny is called akrabiri in Akan. When one seems tohave akrabiri , a bad destiny, as indicated by how one gets along with others,treats ones parents, interacts with strangers, communicates with the elders,and fits into the society, it is a serious existential problem that can be dealtwith only through ritual (Owusu-Frempong, 2005).

One finds similar ideas among other groups of Africans. For example,among the Yoruba of Nigeria, the idea of destiny is also well developed. Agood destiny is olori-re , and a bad destiny is olori-buruka in Yoruba. Among

the Yoruba, the idea of destiny is called ipinori , that which is given to the ori ,the head. The Yoruba believe that a person receives this in one of three ways.A person may kneel and choose his or her destiny; this is called A-kunle-yan ,that which is chosen. One may kneel and receive ones destiny; this iscalled A-kunle-gba , that which is given. An individual may have a destinyattached to him or her; that is A-yan-mo . Both the Akan and the Yoruba

believe that while in theory, destiny is unalterable, in practice, there are somefactors that can influence it for good or evil. A person may consult a divinity

to have a good destiny maintained or prolonged. The Yoruba believe that agood destiny that is accompanied by a bad character is disaster. Among theAkan, it is said that Opanyin ano sen suman , that is, the wisdom of the eldersis worth more than any amulet or charm. This is not a fatalistic concept.People tend to work to have their destinies prolonged and changed. It is onlythe inexplicable traits of humans that are explained by destiny. Consequently,how one communicates with another human being can be affected by destiny,

particularly if one is a victim of an inexplicable character issue. For example,if a person is constantly misunderstanding the intentions or the language ofanother, then it might be considered a problem of destiny. On the other hand,if a person is able to communicate with another without difficulty, then it isalso a function of destiny. Of course, if one has a problem with communica-tion, the Akan idea of nkrabea demands that the person seek measures to


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correct the course of destiny. The key objective is to hold back chaos. TheAkan belief is that humans are not the masters of the universe; they are onlythe beneficiaries and therefore must live in harmony with it. The universe hasexisted long before humans and will exist long after humans; it is importantto maintain the idea of humility, even as humans walk upon the earth. TheAkan say the earth is Asase Yaa , a sacred place, and must be walked on care-fully and softly.

Nkrabea also suggests nkra , life, which corresponds to the ancient Africanidea of ankh , life, or living. During the rise of the ancient Kemetic civiliza-tion in 3400 BC, the African people along the Nile River found the conceptof ankh as a key to their culture. The Akan culture is related to ancientKemetic culture in fundamental ways that have been pointed out in numerousarticles and books. Ritualized structures and symbolic processes suggest adirect connection between Akan and the classical Nile Valley civilizations ofAfrica in the concepts of naming, kinship, and destiny.

One of the central ideas in ancient African cultures is maat , which is usu-ally rendered justice, balance, harmony, order, truth, righteousness, and reci-

procity. Thus, when one discovers in a communicative relationship anadequate or proficient sense of unity, one can say that maat exists. Similarly,

in a persons home, when the chairs, paintings, beds, sofas, cabinets, andvases are said to be in perfect unity, then maat also exists in that space as anexpression of destiny, a good destiny for the items in the room. This is theessence of nkrabea , the idea of destiny, that is the key to understandinghuman relationships.

The Chinese and the Akan philosophy see the notion of destiny as beinggreater than the human being. The Chinese idea of ming yuan carries with itthe notion of fate that comes from a source outside of the human, hence, yuan

from ming , heaven. In Africa, the Akan say that nkrabea is from Nyame , thatis, from a divine energy greater than humans.

Nkrabea and the Concept of Personhood Nkrabea must begin with the concept of the person. In the Akan culture, a person is basically composed of several components: okra, mogya, sunsum ,and so on. But people are also members of an abusua , family, and exist inthe context of community, which includes both the living and the dead.Therefore, all communication has certain ritualized ideas of respect and loy-alty based essentially on the concept of family.

1. One exists within a community and therefore must work to assistothers in carrying out their destinies.


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Asante and Chai 133

2. One cannot communicate alone as there is no dancing alone.3. Ones destiny must be recognized in order for one to detect com-

munication problems.4. We are all part of the same existential condition and must ferret out

our destinies.

Even the idea of kinship reflects this closeness so that age groups share com-mon mothers and common siblings. There are no first cousins, only brothersand sisters, mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts.

Nkrabea suggests that each human is unique and has value apart from oth-ers but this value is meaningless without community. No person is withoutnkrabea , although many people will never discover their nkrabea . Onlythrough conscious communication with other people can one truly discovernkrabea. The reason for this is because within the community of humans,there is an endless variety of possibilities, and it is when we interact with oth-ers that we observe that which completes us, makes us feel whole, satisfiesus, and brings us to maat . In ancient Africa, the priests would say, Amen-hotep , meaning the divine is satisfied, when an action that was considereddifficult or extraordinary had been achieved. One wanted to arrive at the

point when every action, however small or large, would seem natural,expected, like water running off of a ducks back. It is then that one wouldhave achieved all the possibilities of nkrabea because there would be order,

balance, and harmony.

A Concluding WordWestern consciousness carries the conviction that adults are masters of their

fate. Unexpected events and mysterious coincidences challenge this cultural bias. For Westerners, however, these challenge can evoke a spiritualresponsegreater openness to dimensions of life that lie beyond autono-mous personal control. Having a strong connection to their extended familiesand institutions, the Akan and the Chinese have a complex sense of personalagency in the interest of family and community. As we have shown, the con-cepts of yuan and nkrabea as well as other ideas must be explored in anyattempt to construct a clear pathway to a holistic philosophy of communica-tion. An appreciation of the various manifestations of African and Asiancultural concepts will broaden and enlighten the discourse in communicationand other disciplines.


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Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research,authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publica-tion of this article.

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Author Biographies

Molefi Kete Asante teaches African history, culture, and aesthetics in AfricanAmerican Studies at Temple University.

Rosemary Chai teaches communication and culture at the SCAD Hong KongUniversity.

nkrabea and yuan in akan and chinese: cultural intersections and communication implications in an...

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