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Kente (The Cloth of Kings): Ghana
Kente cloth is made by the Asanti (Ashanti) people of Ghana in silk, cotton, rayon or combinations of these yarns. Kente is a word in Akan language translated as, “Whatever happens it will not tear.” It is a beautiful, rich and complex fabric. Each Kente pattern is named and has a meaning. It may recall a historic event, a famous person or a proverb.
Certain patterns were originally reserved for the Asanthene (the king) and the royal family. Often the gowns were large and very costly. Some were made of foreign silks which were unraveled for the thread and rewoven in Ashanti patterns. The intricately designed narrow strips were then sewn together to form the wondrous gowns. These were worn gracefully, thrown over the shoulder in the Roman toga style.
Juliet Highet Brimah writes that traditionally the Ashanti King “...wore a cloth of dark green silk. In Ghanian symbolism the color green is associated with fertility, vitality, puberty and youthful life: worn during initiation ceremonies or at the beginning of a new year or for the planting season. ...The Asanthene kept close control over the use and distribution of patterns of Kente cloth. New designs were (first) offered to the court... .” Thus many designs did not find their way to the open market at the nearby village of Bonwire, which is still the center of Kente weaving.
In modern Ghana other Akan cultures such as Ewe, Ga and Fanti also weave Kente cloth. For them too, its importance is emphasized by its use in ritual, social and political events.