The Adinkra Way

---

My name is Senanu Adzo Tordzro. I am a graduate of the Abertey University in Dundee. ‘The Adinkra Way’ is my first major art commission as part of the  Sustrans Artists Commission for Black History Month 2021. I present a series of Adinkra symbols placed on a distance of five miles at the  Dundee stretch of National Cycling Route. This consists of a series of ten Adinkra symbols, each bearing a QR Code that connects to the story of a chosen Afro-Scot hosted on this page of the AdinkraLinks Network website. Each personality and their story is linked to an Adinkra Symbol and the value and meaning of that symbol. And so I pursue Adinkra symbology as language and a way of life. Hence 'The Adinkra Way'.

To highlight The Adinkra Way, I am working in collaboration with the Dundee City Council Active Travel Hub, to host posters of new symbols I designed drawing on known old Adinkra symbols thereby create an extension of and expansion on the original symbols and the philosophical meanings they bear. The Adinkra Way started in October to celebrate Black History Month 2021 but is a living artistic production that will grow over time into the future with the support of various stake holders.

The Adinkra Way draws on African Folklore, a tradition which draws on and integrates various art forms. Adinkra are visual symbols originally created in Ghana, West Africa and represent philosophical concepts and aphorisms. Adinkra are used extensively in many facets of arts and culture, textile, architecture, pottery, performance and literary arts, fashion, and other handicrafts.