USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: Nsibidi/Ekpuk Philosophy and Mysticism : Reflections on Progress in Expanding a Cognitive System in the Context of Exploring Africana Cognitive Expressions and Art in a Global Framework

                                                                                                                                                                                     
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                                                                                                                                                                 Nsibidi/Ekpuk Philosophy and Mysticism


                                                                                            Reflections on  Progress in  Expanding a  Cognitive System in the Context of Exploring Africana Cognitive Expressions and Art in a Global Framework

                                                                                                                                                                        Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju

                                                                                                                                                                                   Compcros

                                                                                                                                                              Comparative Cognitive Processes and Systems

                                                                                                                                               "Exploring Every Corner of the Cosmos in Search of Knowledge"

                                                                                                                                                              

I am so pleased at the progress I am making on this project, the scope of which I first presented in "Nsibidi/Ekpuk Philosophy and Mysticism : Research and Publication Project", posted on various social networks, on Facebook, Academia. edu and Scribd, inspiring a rich discussion by various contributors  at Academia.edu.

The central essay describing the nature, uses and potential  of Nsibidi symbolism, from South-South and South-Eastern Nigeria and South-Western Cameroon,  is taking me more than eight months to complete, as I learn more of the details of this  ancient body of knowledge and as its implications unfold.

Ever since I observed, as a teenager,  that classical African culture was not included in our rich family library,and since I read Wole Soyinka's Myth, Literature and the African World, an awesome celebration of classical African thought, within the context of the beginning of my quest for ultimate meaning in exploring  Western esotericism and new Western religions, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism in the 70s and 80s, one of the goals to which I have devoted myself is the exploration of the philosophical and mystical possibilities of African thought, art and other expressions, from the classical period to the present.

It has turned out to be a most inspiring experience, more than justifying my conviction that the cognitive wonders and sublime mind expanding ideations and perceptions, expanding the self into the immanence of cosmic possibility,  accessible through Asian and Western philosophies, central to shaping those civilizations and profoundly reverberant globally,  may also be accessed, in their own distinctive ways, through Africana bodies of knowledge embodying the distinctive responses of Africans within and beyond the continent, and those inspired by their achievements, to the struggle to appreciate and understand the beauty, meaning, processes and power of the cosmos.

One should be able to look out of the window of one's life into the expanse of existence and plot cosmic coordinates from that point, coordinates which could take one on a journey into infinity.

When I began my explorations, I concluded from the texts I was exposed to, that such breadth of aspiration was more often associated with Western and Asian than with African thought.

Even now, in the face of the expansion of texts in various media on Africana related philosophies, spiritualities and arts,what may be understood as the ultimate human aspiration, the quest to perceive or experience the source of existence, the mystical quest, is not represented in relation to African contexts in anything near the same scope as in relation Asian and Western contexts, yet the evidence for this aspiration in the Africana context is abundant, though inadequately highlighted, in classical and newer Africana thought, art and even science.

My goal is to contribute to elucidating what has been achieved so far and build upon it in ways that all people can use in enriching their lives in both a theoretical and a practical sense.

The Nsibidi/Ekpuk project is itself part of a larger project in which I aspire to integrate the Western, Asian and African streams of my philosophical, spiritual and artistic quest in a synthesis revolving around the exploration of the essence of being as mediated through aesthetics, an exploration of beauty in terms of the implications of the Yoruba expression  "Iwa le Wa" which may be translated as " Character or inward being or is beauty, an aesthetic configuration".

Along with presentations in more formal media, such as a book and book chapters, my major workshops in exploring these possibilities and related interests  has been through the flexibility represented by Blogger, Scribd, Academia.edu, Flickr, You Tube [Compcros account], You Tube [ Adepoju account]   and my Facebook Notes and photo albums, various websites and Facebook groups, the last two categories in particular, along with my print and book publications, accessible from the Cognitive Platforms link on the website of Compcros, the system in terms of which these initiatives are unified.

These sources represent most of my work since 2006 when I began blogging.

Some of the most important work since then as well as all initiatives before 2006 are yet to be made publicly accessible.

I am working towards further integration of  these investigations in terms of multimedia websites and books.

These explorations have  taken me into magnificent  domains of knowledge and experience, the following Africana systems being those to which I have paid particular attention, as evident from my work so far :

Classical Benin/Edo Spirituality and Art

Benin/Edo  nature spirituality

Benin/Edo shrine aesthetics

Benin/Edo Olokun spirituality, philosophy and art

Benin experience of Ifa, as represented by the thought of babalawo Joseph Ohomina and the writings of Cromwell Osamaro Ibie


Classical Yoruba  Spirituality and Art and its and its Influence on Newer Thinkers and Artists

Classical Yoruba and Diaspora Orisa and spirituality, philosophy and art

Yoruba and Diaspora Ifa spirituality, philosophy and art

The Yoruba Orisa forest cosmography of the school of Susanne Wenger

Yoruba Ijala hunter's poetry and philosophy, particularly as depicted by Abiola Irele

Yoruba female centred spiritualities and artistic traditions of Gelede, Iyami and Aje in Nigeria and the Diaspora

South-South and South-East Nigeria and South-West Cameroon Ekpe Esotericism and its Conjunction with Nigerian Art

South-South and South-West Nigeria and Cameroon Ekpe esotericism and its Nsibidi symbolism, in conjunction with the art of Victor Ekpuk, and in relation to Igbo uli art, its intersection with the work of Obiora Udechukwu and other artists of the Nsukka school and other Nigerian artists

Classical Fulani Spiritualities and Philosophies and the Thought of Related Peoples in Relation to the Work of Newer Thinkers and Scholars

As represented by the work of Ahmadou Hamapte Ba and studies of his work, by the work of Germaine Dieterlen and of Marcele and Camille Griaulle and studies of their work

Classical Akan and Ewe [ Ghanaian]  Spirituality and Art and its and its Influence on Newer Thinkers and Artists

 Akan [ Ghanaian]  Adinkra artistic symbolism and philosophy

Akan forest philosophy as depicted by Ayi Kwei Armah in The Healers

Akan Adinkra symbolism and its conjunction with the art of Owusu Ankomah

Ewe [Ghanian] Afa thought in its conjunction with the art and thought of Kofi and Nyornuworfia Agorsor


Classical Zulu Philosophy and Spirituality

Classical Zulu philosophy and spirituality as depicted by Mazisi Kunene, particularly in his introduction to his Anthem of the Decades

Individual Scholars

The art and thought  of Wole Soyinka

The thought of Abiola Irele

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