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UNDERSTANDING THE PURPOSE OF KOMPAN ADEPA
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In 1994 Nana Kwaku Sakyi desiring to know what the Bono people called their spiritual worships
consulted with Nana Kofi Donkor and the elders and asked them what they called their spiritual
practice. He was told it is called Kompan Adepa. The meaning behind what Kompan Adepa as explained
by Nana Kofi Donkor will be translated for the Western mind to comprehend.
In a literal sense the word Kom, refers to hunger and thirst, but in a spiritual sense it means spiritual possession.
This state of hunger, thirst and possession is a common association with traditional priests and
priestesses, whose profession requires that they abstain from physical gratification in order
display wonders in their ability to communicate, foretell, dance, sing and perform the necessary
rituals for their specialized deity. The next word Pan comes from Panyin, which means ripe, mature,
elder, and old. Ade refers to things, doings or happenings. Pa simply means good.
Then again in
1998 Nana Kwaku Sakyi spoke to Nana Kofi Donkor’s senior classmate Nana Kofi Kyeremeh, Ta
Kwasi Bosomfoo, about other possible meanings behind KOMPAN ADEPA. He was told that it was
also the name an olden weave cloth that was passed down from generation to generation and
no matter how much it is worn or washed it will never wear out or fall apart.
These concepts reflect the attitude and commitment of the ancestors to KOMPAN ADEPA, as do the
principles of Sankofa (to return and claim your heritage). KOMPAN ADEPA is dedicated to
preserving Bono culture as it was passed down through Nana Kwaku Sakyi by my beloved teachers
Nana Kofi Effa, Nana Kofi Donkor and Nana Adwoa Akumsa. We plan to unite and educate those
who were torn apart from their ancestral lineage both here in the Americas, abroad and in
Ghana. It is also dedicated to promoting and maintaining the shrines that may fall into
disrepair which serves as a link between the Bono people of Takyiman, Ghana and those abroad
thirsty and hungry for living and practicing ancient traditions.
To understand the cultural implications of Kompan Adepa established by the ancestors from ancient time, Bono
culture, spirituality and practices must be thoroughly understood and approached from a
holistic rather than a compartmentalized perspective. In doing so an understanding of what
the ancestors intended and accomplished will be realized. Here are a few examples of cultural
identity that should be viewed and studied in relationship to one another.
- God and Spirituality
- Land
- Family and Extended Family
- Language
- Education and Rites of Passage
- Political Structure
- Economics
- Arts and Crafts
- Science and Technology
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