GIFTS

To attend the theatre, I chose to wear a T-shirt with Adinkra symbols. These Ghanaian, Akan symbols are representative of Ghana and have very significant meanings.

My colleague encouraged me to take a photograph with one of the ushers wearing a traditional outfit, which had the lotus flower printed on it. I have learned that the lotus flower is an important symbol of Vietnam.

If I were teaching about these two cultures I would use these symbols and ask my students to draw a Venn diagram and send them off to research. I’m sure there would be many similarities and differences. My eyes and ears are always seeking similarities between the cultures, since I arrived.

From two distant continents there are still strings that loop us in one way or another. I’m here to seek those strings and will write about them when I find them.

Adinkra- Adinkra are visual symbols that represent concepts, proverbs, and aphorisms. They originated from the Gyaman people of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Source: http://www.Adinkrasymbols.org

In Vietnam, the Lotus flower is the national flower. It is known as the flower of the dawn and is the symbol of purity, commitment and optimism for the future. Source: Children’s Discovery Museum