Nkrabea and Yuan in Akan and Chinese

Abstract

There are two central propositions in our epistemological essay on culture and communication in human communities. The first is that Western scholars tend to study African and Asian cultures in relationship only to Western culture. Therefore, one may see comparative studies of American and Japanese responses to communication or British and Nigerian systems of values and respect. What is rare is to see how Japanese and Nigerian cultures interact, compare, or contrast. The second proposition is that most research work done in the social sciences and communication carries forth concepts and ideas grounded in Western epistemology. Ideas that originate in ancient Asian and African cultures are slighted for those that have emerged out of the Greek-Roman cultural matrix. By exploring the concept of destiny, we seek to demonstrate how African and Asian concepts can provide important information about the way humans communicate. Thus, nkrabea and yuan from the Akan and Chinese cultures are examined for communication implications.