Wooden figure carvings are a very common part of Ghanaian culture, and most of these figures and totems have very interesting meanings and backstories.
The Akua’ba figure, which is a wooden, human-like figure of a child is a popular one in the Akan culture. The name “Akua’ba” means child of Akua.
This, according to Akan mythical stories, came about as a result of a prophecy given to one woman named “Akua” who consulted a spiritual diviner over her inability to bear a child.
The diviner offered her spiritual guidance and advised her to make a wooden child, and take care of it as she would an actual child, in order to break the barrier of infertility and conceive.
Akua did as she was told and not long after, she finally was able to conceive and bear a child of her own.
This figure and spiritual direction is now said to be used to Akan women who are struggling with infertility, believing that it will help them conceive just as it did for Akua as is told in the stories.
