Suro Nipa (fear humans)

A cultural analysis of A. E. Asiamah's Akan language Novel, Suro Nipa

Abstract

The article examines suro nipa, a popular maxim of the Akan people of Ghana, against the backdrop of a fictional tale told in the popular Akan novel by A. E. Asiamah titled Suro Nipa. An ambitious young man named Kwabena Anson who owned a flourishing business was driven by arrant desire for instant fabulous wealth to engage in a fiendish act. He sought the assistance of a money-making spiritualist who requested him to spiritually sacrifice the life of a beloved relative for great wealth. For the ritual, Kofi Asomani was spiritually slain by Kwabena Anson who then became fantastically affluent. Throughout the story, Kwabena Anson’s demeanor did not change, giving no clues about the abhorrent act he had committed. Many people were flabbergasted about his instant, fantastic wealth. In the end, Anson inadvertently consumed pork, violating the money ritual’s biggest taboo. He became violently ill and confessed his misdeeds before dying a wretched death. No one in Anson’s social circles ever suspected that Anson’s newfound wealth was attributable to blood sacrifice and that he had spiritually caused his uncle’s untimely death. This shocking story confirmed many people’s perception of human nature as vile, and therefore, needing to be feared.