The figure is small enough to tuck into the cloth wrapped around a woman’s waist. It has a flat, round disc for a head, a long ringed neck, stub arms and a simple column for a body. This is an akuaba, one of the best-known carvings in Ghana and one of the most copied objects in African art. In Akan tradition it was made for a very personal purpose: to help a woman who wanted a child.
The story of Akua and how figures were used
The name is usually explained through a story. A woman named Akua could not conceive, and a priest told her to have a small wooden child carved and to care for it as if it were real. She carried it on her back, fed it and dressed it, and in time she gave birth to a daughter. The figure came to be called Akua’s child, akua ba.
A woman hoping to conceive might consult a shrine priest, who would advise her to obtain an akuaba. She would carry it tucked into her cloth, as mothers carry babies, and sometimes adorn it with beads. Accounts describe women treating the figure with great care through the months of waiting.
After the birth and the shape
If the woman conceived, the figure might be returned to the shrine as thanks or kept in the family. Some were given to the child as a plaything, and others were passed down through generations.
The large flat head is the most recognisable feature. Many writers link it to Akan ideas of beauty, which valued a high, smooth forehead. The rings on the neck represent the folds admired in a healthy, well-fed person.
Female figures and carvers
Most akuaba are female. Some writers explain this by the Akan system of matrilineal descent, in which family lines pass through women. Others point to the hope for a daughter who would continue the family. Akuaba are carved by Akan woodworkers, and the village of Ahwiaa near Kumasi is well known for its carvers. Workshops there produce figures for local use and for the tourist trade.
Asante figures, with their round heads, are the most famous. Fante carvers often made figures with rectangular heads, and other Akan groups have their own variations.
A national symbol and museums
The akuaba image appears widely in Ghana, on logos, jewellery and souvenirs. Visitors to markets in Accra and Kumasi will find figures of every size. Older akuaba are held in museums in Europe and America. Many of these show signs of handling and wear, a sign of the care they once received. Most akuaba sold today go into suitcases as souvenirs. The older ones in museum cases still carry the polish of hands that held them for months, waiting for a child to arrive.
