“Between Two Fires: a Biography of Nana Amoani, Nawuri Kankpe Shrine Priest, 1870s-1981”

Abstract

African historiography has long acknowledged the impact of shrines, traditional priests and African Saints/ancestors in communities. In Ghana shrines and priests have been behind the fullness of life and the freedom that existed and still exists in most societies. In spite of these roles, the social and cultural changes that have transformed populations in Ghana seem to negatively affect the status and contribution of priests and shrines. Using mostly oral interviews and archival sources, I present the biography of one of the traditional priest in Ghana whose tenure of office lasted for over fifty years. I shall focus on the ever changing nature of the rules of succession to the Kankpe priesthood, and demonstrate that spiritual beliefs and practices associated with the Kankpe shrine guided people’s survival strategies during the reign of Nana Amoani. Finally, through Nana’s life, the presentation will shed some insights on great historical events such as early missionary work, colonialism, ethnicity and the formation/disintegration of chieftaincy and kingdoms in Ghana.