Additional Source if Wisdom: Adinkra Symbols
The Adinkra Symbols and Its Impact on my Practice
Summary of Adinkra Symbols and Their Significance on My Practice
The Adinkra symbols are symbols that depicts the culture of the Ashanti people of Ghana. They are stylish pictures that portrays the ideological philosophy which makes the Ashanti’s unique from other cultures in Ghana. They are “based on various observations of and associations between humans and objects they use, flora and fauna scenes, the human body and its parts, and elements of nature, [geometric] and abstract ideas” (Danzy, 2009, p. 3). Adinkra symbols and their meanings have been adapted to the social, cultural, and historical changes that characterize modern Ghanaian society (Danzy, 2009). These symbols are a “translation of thoughts and ideas, expressing and symbolizing the values and beliefs of the people among whom they occur” (Danzy, 2009, p. 4). They have rich proverbial meaning and these proverbs play an important role in the Asante culture. They are considered as a mark of wisdom.
As a social work practitioner, the meaning and artistic nature of the Adinkra symbols have greatly impacted my work with people.
Strength and Energy: My strength as a practitioner is in the people I work with. Without the human person, social work will not exist. I have learned to put clients at the center of every interaction.
Peace and Harmony : Peace and Harmony are important elements which are priceless, without peace and harmony nothing can be achieved perfectly. In practice, I learned to use skills in crisis intervention to promote peace among individuals, families and groups. Also, in working with clients I learned to adapt to situation in servicing the interests of others, for example adapting to client culture in order to understand him/her.
Intelligence and Unity in Diversity: As a social worker, understanding theories and models of the profession puts me in a useful place to help others. How I can help depends on how much I know. Social workers “respect the diversity among individuals’ (CASW, 2005). In my work with clients, I learned to understand the diversity of people I worked with.
Transformation: As a practitioner, I needed to create an enabling environment that will lead to the change I hope to see in clients. I have learned to be a nurturer rather than an authoritative figure.
Love, Faithfulness and Harmony: this helped me to understand and empathize with the people i worked with.
Endurance and Resourcefulness: The symbol enabled me to prepare adequately even under stressful situation to offer the needed care and support to clients. The knowledge, skills and endurance helped me to meet the point of needs of clients through difficulty and challenging moments.
Commitment and Perseverance: I developed the wisdom to understand each person as she/he is, respecting the "unique worth and inherent dignity of all people" and being creative to address issues bearing in mind the complexities of the human person (CASW, 2005).