Long before the arrival of European missionaries to sub-Saharan Africa in the 15th century A.D., many of the tribal cultures cherished an understanding of the true God. Their knowledge included the following: A) His attribute as the Creator, B) Saturday as his Memorial Day, and C) blood sacrifice as his means of atonement.

THE GOD OF CREATION
In the Ghanaian Culture, the knowledge of the True God as the Creator was transmitted through oral tradition from generation to generation. This Supreme God was referred to in the Akan language (Ashanti/Fanti) as “Odomankoma Boadi” meaning, “The Gracious Creator”—the One who graced Ankoma (perhaps their name for Adam). This gracious Creator commanded the highest respect of all.

Before a traditional priest performed any rites or ceremonies or poured libation, he had to ask permission from Odomankoma Boadi, the One who made all things. The priest would look up into the heavens and address him: “God, One and Only who says no, and none else can say yes, from you I ask permission.” Odomankoma Boadi was unlike any other god; he was the God above gods. He was worshiped, not in fear as with other gods, but reverenced, respected and adored; he was different.

Here is a symbol in the Akan culture that sums up the concept of the Omnipotence and the creatorship of God. Gye Nyame—Except God” (Symbol of the Omnipotence of God.)

Here is the concept behind it: “This great Panorama of creation dates back to time immemorial. No one lives who saw its beginning, and no one lives who knows its end, Except God, Gye Nyame!”

THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM IN AFRICAN CULTURE
Africa also preserved the sacrificial system, which pointed to Jesus as “The Lamb of God.” Sacrifice was the means of purification, cleansing, and reconciliation. Only clean animals qualified for sacrifice. No unclean animals like pigs or mice were ever used. Every year the elders were required to offer a sacrifice for the city. And I am no stranger to our culture. I was raised in a palace. My brother was a town chief. I was an eyewitness to the culture, and these customs are still practiced today.

The lamb chosen for the sacrifice was supposed to be without any cuts or marks, but plain and spotless; so much so that it came to be thought of as the “white lamb.” That was the interpretation given to the kind of animal—pure and without any spot. More importantly, during the sacrifice the lamb was not allowed to make any sound. If there was a bleating sound, “ba-aa”, the priest considered it to be a protest by the lamb and the sacrifice was unacceptable.

With this insight, you can appreciate why the Ethiopian eunuch, a high-ranking African official steeped in the African tradition, would recognize the True Lamb of God when he read Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” His question after reading Isaiah was not “What does this mean?” but “Of whom was Isaiah talking?” When Philip told him that Christ was the lamb, he accepted him right away and asked, “What hinders me from being baptized?” The Bible says he was baptized immediately. His African knowledge of the sacrificial system became the window through which he recognized Jesus as the True Lamb of God. I have never seen a man of such power converted so quickly. God is no respecter of persons. He put the knowledge of Himself as the Creator and the sacrificial system into the culture of Africa to prepare Africa to accept Jesus as the Savior of the world.

TRUE SABBATH IN AFRICAN CULTURE
Africa also kept God’s commandments. Africans, like the Jews, used gold very extensively to decorate their temple properties “because gold to them was of great value; but the Ashantis and the Akan tribes, which make up a significant percentage of Ghana’s population, were the unlikely custodians of an even greater treasure, the seventh-day Sabbath of the God of Creation” (Afritell 8). Africans preserved the knowledge of the true Sabbath in their culture through oral tradition. In my language (Akan Language in Ghana), Saturday (MeMeNe-Da) is a compound word. The last part “Da” means “day.” The first part of the compound is a repetition of the first person singular of the verb “To be.” It means “I Am That I Am” when you put them together. Saturday literally means “the Day of the I AM” (Me- Me-NeDa). Somebody claims ownership of Saturday in my language! Just as the Bible says, “The Sabbath is the day of the Lord thy God,” YHWH’S Day, the day of the Self-Existent One, The Creator’s Day.

Apart from the meaning of Saturday as the “Day of the Lord,” God’s personal name in my language reveals far greater evidence of the authenticity of the Sabbath. God’s personal name in Akan is “Onyankopon Twereduampon Kwame.” Onyankopon means a dependable friend, One whom you can lean on (He will never let you down). His last name, “Kwame”, is a day-name given to any male born on Saturday. When you are born on Sunday, your day name is Kwesi. I was born on Monday and am called “Kojo.”

Until the missionaries arrived on the Continent, our people never knew the God of Sunday. When the missionaries introduced Sunday sacredness for the first time in Ghana, our people registered their protest by naming the missionary after Sunday. Hence the term Kwesi Broni. Even today, any missionary who goes to Ghana inherits his Ghanaian name “Kwesi Broni”—Sunday Whitman. It does not refer to the day on which the European was born, nor the day on which he came to Africa, but to the day that he brought to Africa as a day of worship. Mark Finley told the North Eastern Conference 1999 Camp Meeting audience that the Ghanaians called him Kwesi Broni, and when he understood its meaning he protested it by saying, “I am not Sunday Whitman, I am Saturday Whitman.” Until its introduction by the missionaries, our people knew only “Onyame Kwame,” the God of Saturday, the biblical Lord of the Sabbath, and never the God of Sunday. So Saturday is recorded in African traditional history as the Day of the Creator God and is witnessed by the Ghanaian culture. 

Ellen White supports this claim in her book, The Great Controversy: “The churches of Africa held the Sabbath as it was held by the papal church before her complete apostasy.... The churches of Africa, hidden for nearly 1,000 years, did not share in this apostasy, When brought under the sway of Rome, they were forced to set aside the truth and exalt the false Sabbath; but no sooner had they regained their independence than they returned to obedience to the Sabbath of the fourth commandment” (p. 578).

We have a heritage of God’s word. Africa knew God and God knew Africa, for God truly revealed Himself in the culture. That is why Africans are responding to the gospel in such a remarkable manner. This is not because of poverty, for there is poverty everywhere; but not everybody is religious. It must be because the knowledge of God is embedded in our culture. Religion is our heritage, and like the Ethiopian eunuch, we should allow our religious genetic memory to lead us to Christ, the Savior of the World.

We ought not to look for ways to hide from God but search for our roots in the God of creation in order to bring forth His fruits. It’s time for princes to come out of Egypt and for Ethiopia to stretch her hand unto God (Psalm 68:31). Africa! Your time has come to bless!

pp.20,21 adventist today | vol. 13 issue 5