“Kente cloth” is a royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance. Kente was the cloth of kings. The icon of African cultural heritage around the world, Asante kente is identified by its dazzling, multicolored patterns of bright colors, geometric shapes and bold designs. Kente characterized by weft designs woven into every available block of plain weave is called adweneasa. The Asante peoples of Ghana choose kente cloths as much for their names as their colors and patterns. Although the cloths are identified primarily by the patterns found in the lengthwise (warp) threads, there is often little correlation between appearance and name. Names are derived from several sources, including proverbs, historical events, important chiefs, queen mothers, and plants. It is the best known of all African textiles. (from Google Go Ghana blog)
We visited one tiny operation on the side of the road as we were passing through, and then on our way home made a stop at a village where every member knows how to weave Kente cloth. We were told that by the age of 7 each person must know how to contribute to the craft within the village. It was Sunday, so the 'house of weaving' was not full as they don't typically work on Sunday. Nonetheless, it was very nice, and several of the villagers sat down to weave for us. The first set of pictures are at our roadside stop - one boy weaving.
At the kente weaving village, the yarn looked a little like the matrix - my boys desperately wanted to go over and under it like spies. :) Okay, so Drew did keep doing it and it made the experience a little less enjoyable.
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| Don't you feel welcome?? |
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| Matrix |
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| Imagine each seat is filled with a weaver at the same time |
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| So many beatiful colors and patterns |
Here are some videos of the action
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