Fawohodie
Fawohodie means “independence”. It is the adinkra symbol of independence, freedom and emancipation.
Meaning
Fawohodie is an Akan symbol from Ghana, stamped on adinkra cloth. The design-tools table at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute translates the name as “Independence” and gives its meaning as “Independence, freedom, emancipation”.
Where you’ll see it
Outside Ghana, the Program for Research on Black Americans at the University of Michigan bases its logo on it, “the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol, Fawohodie, which means independence and freedom”, drawn in the red, black and green of the Pan-African flag.
Read next
- Next in Adinkra symbolsNkyinkyimNkyinkyim, “twisting”, is the zigzag adinkra symbol of initiative, dynamism and versatility: the road of life twists and turns.
- The red, black and green of the Pan-African flagKwanzaa colours (bendera)Black, red and green are the colours of Kwanzaa, flown on its flag, the bendera, and repeated in its seven candles. The holiday’s founder gives black for the people, red for their struggle and green for the future and hope that come from it.
See also
Gye Nyame, Nyame Dua, Nsoromma (star), Osram ne Nsoromma (moon and star), Sankofa, Sankofa (heart).
Sources
- Adinkra Symbols (Culturally Situated Design Tools), Culturally Situated Design Tools (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with the National Science Foundation), “Adinkra: Symbols”, Culturally Situated Design Tools, table of symbols
- Meaning of PRBA Logo (Program for Research on Black Americans), Program for Research on Black Americans, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, “Meaning of PRBA Logo”, University of Michigan, whole page
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols formed from lines.
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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