Adinkra Symbols — "Sankofa Symbol: Meaning, History & Images"
- Author: unauthored (site editorial staff)
- Publication: adinkrasymbols.org
- Date: undated (live page; accessed 2026-09-05)
- URL: https://www.adinkrasymbols.org/symbols/sankofa/
- Type: secondary/tertiary (a dedicated reference site on Adinkra symbolism); neutral-to-credulous stance (celebratory of the symbol's cultural importance, but factually cautious)
- Accessed: 2026-09-05
Extract
- Etymology given: the symbol's name comes from the Twi expression "San kɔfa!", literally "Go back and get it!"
- Proverb given: "Se wo were firi na wosan kofa a, yenkyiri" — "it is not taboo to go back and get something after you have forgotten it."
- Contemporary Ghanaian politics: notes the symbol's prominent use in President Mahama's 2025 inauguration, worn as part of traditional Adinkra/Kente cloth designs — evidence the symbol retains live, mainstream currency in Ghana itself, not only in the diaspora.
- African-diaspora use: describes Sankofa as "a symbol of cultural reclamation and identity affirmation" among African Americans and diaspora communities, appearing in art, tattoos, jewelry, literature, and fashion.
- Translation given directly: "Go back and get it" — the source treats the phrase as straightforwardly translatable, not as resisting translation.
Gaps
- No citation trail for the Mahama-inauguration claim or the proverb's exact Twi orthography; both taken at face value from this one tertiary source.
- No discussion of English-dictionary adoption or the popular "untranslatable words" genre specifically.