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Yebisa Wo Fie: growing old and building a house in the Akan Culture of Ghana.
- Source :
- Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology; Dec1998, Vol. 13 Issue 4, p333-359, 27p
- Publication Year :
- 1998
-
Abstract
- 'House' (ofie) in the Akan culture of Ghana is the most common metonym for people living together. Mefie (my house) means 'my family'. A house is someone's identity, it is a sign of security and happiness. A house is the concretisation of social relations and the sentiments accompanying them. A house, not least of all, is a status symbol. Building a house is building a powerful symbol. A house is something to which people attach some of the most cherished virtues of their culture: respect, love, memory, 'home' and beauty. In this article, building a house is seen as one of the most important achievements in a person's life. It provides elderly people with respect and security. The article is based on anthropological research in the rural Ghanaian town of Kwahu-Tafo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- AKAN architecture
DOMESTIC architecture
OLDER men
CULTURE
SOCIOLOGY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01693816
- Volume :
- 13
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 11307391
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006563032706