Wednesday, June 5, 2013

THE MEANING & PURPOSE OF THE TERM "ABIBIFAHODIE'"

                     PEACE 2 ALL AFRIKAN PEOPLES & DEATH 2 ALL ENEMIES of AFRIKA !!!

    In the process of putting this blog together I have asked for input from people who's insight & opinions I trust. I not only trust their judgement, but I also trust in their ability to criticize my work & ideas with love. Not the type of love we often hear about here in the West, but the type that includes telling the person you love the truth. So, one of the questions that has come up the most is "what does ABIBIFAHODIE' mean ?" Somehow it never even occurred to me to explain that word & why I use it. I have become so accustomed to using it in certain circles & hearing it that it has become part of my standard vocabulary. That of course does not mean that it is commonly used among the people. It is not. In fact, the usage of the term in "Conscious" circles is relatively recent. So I decided to give a brief explanation with the help of the Brother who basically is popularizing the phrase.
    In short, "ABIBIFAHODIE'" is an AKAN or TWI word that means "Afrikan Liberation". The AKAN people are found primarily in Ghana & Cote' D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) , two countries on the west coast of  Afrika. The term has been put into parlance among the Afrikan Centered Community by Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti of the Akoben House. Akoben House is an Afrikan Centered educational institution in Atlanta. Brother Baruti believes that words have power, and that we should use Afrikan words to express ourselves whenever possible. The term "ABIBIFAHODIE'" is an affirmation. We should use it to remind ourselves of what the goal of Afrikan people should be, which is sovereignty or liberation. I thought that he made a compelling argument and so I personally decided to adopt the practice myself. Afrikans in America use all types of terminology that originates from other people, so why not a few Afrikan words for good measure. It is a small step in the pursuit of regaining the knowledge of ourselves, our history & our culture as Afrikan people.
    This is just a small explanation of the meaning, origin & purpose of the term "ABIBIFAHODIE'". The pronunciation is as follows: AH-BE-BE-FAH-HOE-DE-AYE. The following video by Brother Baruti will go into further detail. There is also a link that explains who the Akan people are & it also goes into some of their history. I hope that you find these materials both informative & inspirational.

ABIBIFAHODIE'

akobenhouse.com





www.theakan.com/THE%20AKAN.pdf
akobenhouse.com
www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=267495#

2 comments:

  1. Peace, Asante Sana! I appreciate this post. I, too, started using Abibifahodie as Baba Mwalimu Baruti explained. We use it in the place of God Bless You when sneezing, before bedtime and also in greetings and farewells.

    I just found your blog. I am looking forward to reading and learning more. Abibifahodie Straight Black Family Pride First and Forever! Catrinazera@gmail.com

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