Identify and describe the Akua'ba doll in 6 points.

Here are the answers to question 3:

• 3. (a) Identify the drawing below.

  • The drawing is an Akua'ba doll (also spelled Akuaba).

• 3. (b) In six points write about the drawing in 3(a).

  • i) The Akua'ba doll is a traditional wooden fertility doll originating from the Ashanti people of Ghana.
  • ii) Its primary purpose is to help women who desire to conceive a child or to ensure the birth of a beautiful and healthy baby.
  • iii) Akua'ba dolls are characterized by their distinctive large, flat, disc-shaped head, which is often considered a symbol of beauty and the forehead of a newborn.
  • iv) They typically feature a stylized body with a ringed neck (representing rolls of fat, a sign of health and prosperity), small breasts, and abstract, minimalist limbs.
  • v) Women who wish to conceive carry the doll on their backs, treating it as if it were a real baby, dressing it, and caring for it in hopes of transferring its fertility.
  • vi) The dolls are usually carved from wood and are highly revered, embodying ideals of beauty, well-being, and the continuation of the family line within Ashanti culture.