Kente is an icon of cultural heritage in Ghana. Globally, Ghana is respected as the home of this elegant woven fabric. The dazzling, bright multicolored patterns, geometric shapes, and bold designs make it a must haveI Bonwire is largely considered as the home of Kente in Ghana.
What is the Kente history?
Popular Ananse stories (folk tales) tell the story of a hunter who stumbled on a spider weaving its web. This hunter was fascinated by the beauty of the process and the end product that he decided to learn how to weave like the spider and ended up creating Kente.
Is that the true story?
Historians have studied how the Kente tradition became strongly associated with the Asante’s in Ghana.
Eventhough Bonwire is the first name that comes to mind at the mention of Kente, Adanwomase (a town in the Kwabre East district of the Ashante Region) also have a rich tradition of Kente and is arguably the best kept secret when it comes to the Kente business.
According to Eric Boakye Yiadom, the manager of the Adanwomase Tourist Center, the Asante’s learned how to weave Kente from Cote D’Ivoire.
According to him “Kente is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics and shared values. It’s a powerful cultural symbol and a source of pride for Ghanaians and Africans in the diaspora. It binds us together as a people and we should do everything we can to protect the rich Kente heritage.”
In this edition of the #HeritageMonth2015, he gives listeners a tour of Adanwomase and shares the rich history of Asante Kente.
Audio: The story of Adanwomase (Asante) Kente
Kente weaving is not unique to the people of Asante alone. According to oral history, weaving actual started in the northern parts of Ghana. That explains why dynamic the smock of the people in the Northern, Upper East and West regions are.
There are different types of smocks made by the different ethnic groups up north. However, these types of smocks or fugu have striking similarities.
Citi FM’s northern regional correspondent, Abdul Karim, compiles the story of the smock/fugu below:
Audio: The story of the smock
Agortime-Kpetoe (also known simply as Kpetoe) is the capital of Adaklu-Anyigbe district, a district in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is the home of the rich tradition of Kente in the Volta Region.
[contextly_sidebar id=”JpP1U0Z5oEaOPeIvAtVQEmnYCIxg6k1N”]The people of Kpetoe have instituted an annual Kente Festival to promote Kente.
The Kente industry is one of the main activities that supports the economy of the the Agortime Traditional area.
Nene Neur Keteku III shares the story of the Kpetoe Kente, with Citi FM’s Volta Regional Correspondent King Norbert Akpablie.
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By; Kojo Akoto Boateng/citifmonline.com