TITLE:
Emblematic Interpretation of the Designs of Selected Kente Fabrics among Ashanti People of Ghana
AUTHORS:
Linda Armah, Daniel Akuoko Adjei, Bismark Kwadwo Menetey, Kudesey Divine William
KEYWORDS:
Kente, Design, Heritage, Fabric, Emblematic
JOURNAL NAME:
Art and Design Review,
Vol.11 No.3,
August
25,
2023
ABSTRACT: Ghana is a country which is located in the West of the African continent.
The Ghanaians have a rich cultural heritage that they cherish most. This cultural heritage
could be seen through the way they dress during occasions such as funerals,
weddings, festivals, durbars and naming ceremonies. Some of the fabrics that
people wear during these occasions are Kente cloths, “nteimu” and “kuntukuni”
cloths (clothes stamped with locally prepared dyes). The Kente, “nteimu” and “kuntukuni” are locally produced by the people of Bonwire, Adawonmase
and Ntonso. Although these clothes have
some special designs and motifs that make them unique and aesthetically
pleasing, they have not been effectively and comprehensively researched. This
study intends to identify and describe the various designs and motifs in these
fabrics, and then give the philosophical meanings associated with the designs and the motifs in them. The descriptive research design
which is under the qualitative research approach was espoused to accomplish the
goal and purpose of the study. In all, 20 woven Kente fabrics were sampled for
the study using a purposive sampling technique. Of these, 5 were used for festival
celebrations, 5 for marriage ceremonies, 5 for funeral celebrations and 5 for
durbars and parties. The primary data was collected using interviews,
observations and opinionnaire. The results showed that designs and motifs which
are seen in the Kente cloths have philosophical meaning that can help one to
understand his or her culture. In addition, some of the motifs and designs used
to produce the various fabrics exhibit the creative abilities of our
forefathers and their belief system. Also, the research revealed that some of
the designs and motifs are used for prestigious and aesthetic purposes.