Kumasi

In Kumasi, a town north of Accra, we had the opportunity to learn about the historically rooted culture and art practices of Ghanaians. Our first stop was at a Kente cloth factory and cocoa plantation. We were given an introduction that explained Kente cloth is designed to tell stories or relay messages about its creator. This piece of fabric serves many purposes ranging from delivering messages about hope, perseverance, and knowledge to telling stories that have been passed down for generations. The Kente cloth originated with the Ashanti tribe, and was worn by leaders to symbolize status and ceremonious events. During our time there we were able to watch as different Kente cloths were made through the use of a weaving machine that utilizes both hand and foot movement to form these beautiful cloths. After our lesson on Kente cloth, we were able to learn about the production of cocoa. We took a tour of a cocoa farm, tasted the raw cocoa, and gained information on how it is harvested and plays a major role in Ghanaian economics via export revenue. These two aspects about the art and agriculture of Ghana help to develop a better understanding about how history is preserved and transformed into modern day practices

Our next stop was at the Manhyia Palace. Now a museum, the palace once served as the official residence of the Ashanti tribe leader. On its walls displays the Kente cloth worn by chiefs and high ranking officials, and displayed throughout the palace are images of celebratory events. Decorating the walls are headdresses worn by tribe members, maps of the Ashanti region, and wax mannequins of the earlier kings, queens, and queen mothers of the Ashanti. Outside the palace, the entry way is decorated with adinkra symbols that symbolize a multitude of different concepts, ideas, and original thoughts. The tour we received allowed us to delve into the history of the Ashanti tribe and how their actions have had a lasting impact on society today.

The following day we visited a village that specializes in making cloth stamped with Adinkra symbols. My group was able to learn about how the ink, that is used in the stamping, is manufactured by grinding up and boiling a dark indigenous root. We were even able to practice pounding the root to obtain the dark ink it contained. Next we were able to pick out the symbols that we wanted to stamp on our cloth. Due to the high volume of different symbols, a book containing each one’s distinct meaning came in handy. After we had our symbols picked, we were able to use the ink to stamp our chosen symbols onto our strips of cloth then laid them out to dry. Not only did we get to learn the ins and outs of stamping Adinkra symbols, but we were able to walk away with our own piece of authentic Ghanaian art .