Nyame Nwu Na Mawu Meaning: 'God Does Not Die, So I Cannot Die'
AURYN Editorial
Nyame nwu na mawu means "God does not die, so I cannot die". The Adinkra symbol of that name expresses the Akan belief in the immortality of the human soul, which comes from God and shares in God's endurance.
The soul and God
In Akan thought, each person has a kra, a soul or life force given by Nyame, the Supreme Being. Because the soul comes from God, and God does not die, the soul too is understood to endure beyond physical death. The symbol puts that reasoning into five words.
A symbol of faith
Nyame Nwu Na Mawu belongs to a family of Adinkra symbols about the divine, alongside the famous Gye Nyame, "except God". It expresses confidence rather than fear in the face of death, which is fitting for a tradition whose cloth was worn at funerals.
Nyame Nwu Na Mawu in jewellery
A Nyame Nwu Na Mawu design is a sign of faith in the endurance of the soul.
