Abstract
In Lamnso’, my natal language, there is the saying, wan dzë wan a dzë lim Nyuy: a baby/ child is a baby/child, a handiwork of God. The saying signifies the unconditional acceptance of a neonate, irrespective of how it comes about, no matter how it is, no matter what is particularizing and individuating physical and mental attributes. Wan dzë wan leads directly to wir dzë wir at the level of the adult human being. Wir dzë wir can best be rendered into English as “a human being is a human being is a human being, purely and simply by being a human being.”
Wir dzë wir! (A human being is a human being is a human being, simply by being a human being)
Reprinted with permission: 2000 Hastings Center Report 30, 39–43.
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Tangwa, G.B. (1999). The Traditional African Perception of a Person. In: Personhood and Health Care. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2572-9_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2572-9_15
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