Abstract
The concept of a person held by a group of people is fundamental in
understanding not only how a person within such framework of thought
views himself but also how other matters such as the idea of being,
morality, knowledge and truth that are essential for the ordering of the
society are viewed. This is emphasized by the fact that such a concept
encapsulates the role the society expects the individual to play for the
attainment of an orderly society and this makes it inevitable for
African Scholars to write on the conception of a person from the
Africans perspectives. The Yoruba of south western Nigeria, a person is
believed to be made up of three important parts. These are the “Ara”
which is the material body, including the internal organs of a person;
the “Emi” which is the life giving element and the “Ori” which is the
individuality element that is responsible for a person’s personality. In
Akan ontology, a person is also made up of three parts namely the
“Okra”, the “Sunsum” and the “Honam” or “Nipadua”, representing the soul
(or life giving entity), the spirit that gives a personality its force
and body respectively.