Twi for kids | Nnawɔtwe | Twi Children's song | Twi Nursery Rhyme
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From https://amesall.rutgers.edu/languages/128-akan-twi "Akan (Twi) at Rutgers
Akan refers to the language of the Akan ethnic group of Ghana. It is also spoken in the central and eastern part of Cote d’Ivoire. Akan comprises three main mutually intelligible dialects: Fante, Asante Twi and Akwapim Twi. Asante Twi is the widely used. Akan is the most widely spoken and used indigenous language in Ghana. About 44%, of Ghana’s population of about 22 million, speak Akan as first language. However, about 80% of Ghanaians speak Akan as a first and second language. It is officially recognized for literacy, at least at the lower primary (Primary 1-3) level, and studied at university as a bachelor or masters program. It is the most important indigenous language of Ghana. It is the language of the Western, Central, Ashanti, Eastern, Brong Ahafo regions, and the northern portion of the Volta region of Ghana. A form of Akan is also spoken in South America, notably Suriname and Jamaica. The language came to these places through the slave trade. Akan names and folktales are still used in these countries. "...
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Rutgers is a State University in New Jersey (United States)
From https://www.britannica.com/topic/Akan
"Akan are a grouping of peoples of the Guinea Coast who speak Akan languages (of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family). They include the speakers of the Akyem, Anyi, Asante (Ashanti), Attié, Baule, Brong, Chakosi, Fante (Fanti), and Guang languages; some scholars also consider Twi a distinct Akan language. Most Akan peoples live in Ghana, where they settled in successive waves of migration between the 11th and 18th centuries; others inhabit the eastern part of Côte d’Ivoire and parts of Togo."...
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AKAN MALE AND FEMALE DAY NAMES
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_names
"The Akan people of Ghana frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. These "day names" have further meanings concerning the soul and character of the person. Middle names have considerably more variety and can refer to their birth order, twin status, or an ancestor's middle name.
This naming tradition is shared throughout West Africa and the African diaspora. During the 18th–19th centuries, enslaved people in the Caribbean from the region that is modern-day Ghana were referred to as Coromantees. Many of the leaders of enslaved people's rebellions had "day names" including Cuffy, Cuffee or Kofi, Cudjoe or Kojo, Quao or Quaw, and Quamina or Kwame/Kwamina.
Most Ghanaians have at least one name from this system, even
if they also have an English or Christian name. Notable figures with day names
include Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah and former United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan."...
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From https://theculturetrip.com/africa/ghana/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-ghanaian-tradition-of-day-names/
"The Akan people use the Kwa language group’s system of
timekeeping, which is based on a six-day week (‘nnanson‘), with the seventh day
inclusive. In Ashanti homes, Sunday-born males and females are named Kwasi or
Kwesi and Akosua respectively (meaning ‘associated with the universe’);
Monday-born are Kwadwo or Kojo, Adjoa or Adwoa (meaning ‘associated with
peace’); Tuesday-born are Kwabena or Kobi, Abena (meaning ‘associated with the
ocean’); Wednesday-born Kwaku or Kweku, Akua (meaning ‘associated with
spider/Ananse’); Thursday-born Yaw, Yaa ( meaning ‘associated with the earth’);
Friday-born Kofi, Afia or Afua (meaning ‘associated with fertility’); and
Saturday-born Kwame, Ama (meaning ‘associated with God’)."...
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INFORMATION ABOUT AKAN DAYS OF THE WEEK
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_names
[...]
"Day born*
Sunday - Kwasíada
Root - Asi
Association – Universe
Twi Male Name: Kwasí
Twi Female Name: Akosua
Fanti Male Name: Quashie,
Fanti Female Name: Quasheba
**
Monday- Ɛdwóada
Root: Dwo
Association: Peace
Twi Male Name: Kwadwó
Twi Female Name: Adwoa
Fanti Male Name: Cudjoe/Kojo/Quajo,
Fanti Female Name: Adjoa/Ajuba/Juba
**
Tuesday - (Ɛbénada)
Root: Bene
Association: Ocean
Twi Male Name: Kwabená
Twi Female Name: Abenaa, Abénaa
Fanti Male Name: Quabena,
Fanti Female Name: Abena/Bena
**
Wednesday - (Wukúada)
Root: Wukuo
Association: Spider**
Twi Male Name: Kwakú
Twi Female Name: Akua, Akúá, Akuba
Fanti Male Name: Quaco,
Fanti Female Name: Aqua/Acooba/Cooba
**
Thursday - (Yáwóada)
Root: Ya
Association: Earth
Twi Male Name: Yaw
Twi Female Name: Yaa
Fanti Male Name: Quaw,
Fanti Female Name: Aba/Yaaba
**
Friday - (Efíada)
Root: Afi
Association: Fertility
Twi Male Name: Kofí
Twi Female Name- Afua
Fanti Male Name: Cuffy
Fanti Female Name: Afiba/Fiba
**
Saturday - (Méméneda)
Root: Mene
Association: God
Twi Male Name: Kwámè, Kwǎmè,
Twi Female Name: Ám̀ma, Ámmá
Fanti Male Name: Quame/Quamina
Fanti Female Name: Ama
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*This is an amended version of the information that is given in a chart on that Wikipedia page. That Wikipedia chart also includes Akan variants of these day names that are given to males or females and the day names in the Akan based Ndyuka language, a creole language of Suriname, spoken by the Ndyuka people.
That amended version of the Wikipedia chart and the following notes are quoted from a 2017 pancocojams post entitled "The Roots Of & Characteristics Associated With Akan Day Names (Ghana & The Ivory Coast, West Africa)" http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/04/names-for-days-of-week-in-akan-language.html
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** In Wikipedia's Akan day name chart, the word "spider" is linked to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi.
My summary of the meaning of Anansi (spider) in Akan culture as well as in the African Diaspora of Jamaica and the United States etc. is that Anansi symbolized/s wisdom and using your mind to overcome adversity.
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In his article "The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names" http://www.njas.helsinki.fi/pdf-files/vol15num2/agyekum.pdf, instead of "spider" Kofi Agyekum (University of Ghana, Legon) gives the following associations for these day names (The Akan names for the days themselves and for the male/female names for people born on those days that are given above are the same):
Sunday - agility
Monday - peace
Tuesday - friendliness
Wednesday - evil ****
Thursday - brave
Friday- wanderer/traveler
Saturday - male: combat ready’, snakebite herbalist / female: creation/grace
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**** With regard to "evil" as the characteristic (association) for males and females born on Wednesday. In attempting to "suss" out this characteristics, it occurs to me that in Anansi stories, spider is a trickster who has to use his mind to get out of trouble. I wonder if "evil" is a later ascribed characteristic for Wednesday born. Perhaps spider might have also meant "cunning", "resourceful" and quick witted" (which could have been interpreted by some as "evil" in that people with those characteristics tend to disrupt the status quo.
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