Ghanaian national dress is a vibrant reflection of the country's rich cultural heritage. Among the most iconic elements of this attire are Kente cloth and the Fugu smock, each with its own unique history and significance.
Kente Cloth: A Woven Legacy
Kente refers to a Ghanaian textile made of hand-woven strips of silk and cotton. Kente comes from the word kɛntɛn, which means "basket" in the Asante dialect of the Akan language, referencing its basket-like pattern. In Ghana, the Akan ethnic group also refers to kente as nwentoma, meaning "woven cloth". Historically the fabric was worn in a toga-like fashion among the Asante, Akan and Ewe people.
According to Asante oral tradition, it originated from Bonwire in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Asante oral tradition give the origins of Kente to an individual from Bonwire who introduced a loom among the Asante from Bono Gyaman during the reign of Nana Oti Akenten in the 17th century. Another oral source states that it was developed indigenously by individuals from Bonwire during the reign of Osei Kofi Tutu I, who were inspired by the web designs of a spider.
In the 18th century, Asantehene Opoku Ware I was documented by Danish agents Nog and L.F. Rømer, to have encouraged expansion in craft work. The Asantehene set up a factory during his reign to innovate weaving in the Ashanti Empire. This was the early stages of Kente production. Some of his subjects were able to spin cotton, and they wove bands of it, three fingers wide. When twelve long strips were sewn together it became a "Pantjes" or sash. One strip might be white, the other one blue or sometimes the was a red among them...[Asantehene] Opoke [Ware] bought silk taffeta and materials of all colours.
According to oral tradition, Ewe weaving goes back to the 16th century when weavers were among the migrants who resettled in Ghana from Benin Republic and Western Nigeria. In the 18th century Keta became the centre of weaving among Ewe migrants who had settled in Southern Ghana. The earliest description of weaving among the southern ewe was from a report in 1718 by a Dutch West India Company official during his visit to Keta. Legend has it that two men named Ota Karaban and Kwaku Ameyaw observed a spider weaving its web and used it as inspiration to weave a strip of raffia fabric.
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Weaving is done on a wooden loom in which multiple threads of dyed fabric are pressed together. Weavers are typically apprenticed under a master weaver or company for a number of years before producing their own patterns. Gender has an influence on cloth production.
There exist hundreds of different kinds of kente patterns. Kente patterns vary in complexity, with each pattern having a name or message by the weaver. Ghanaians 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. The cloth symbolizes high value.
Ahwepan refers to a simple design of warp stripes, created using plain weave and a single pair of heddles. The designs and motifs in kente cloth are traditionally abstract, but some weavers also include words, numbers and symbols in their work. Example messages include adweneasa, which translates as 'I've exhausted my skills', is a highly decorated type of kente with weft-based patterns woven into every available block of plain weave.
Kente was once the fashion statement of royalty, saved only for celebration and ceremony. With its aura of prestige, kente cloth adorned special occasions like child naming ceremonies, uplifting graduations, love-filled weddings, and heartfelt burial rites. Fast forward to today, and kente cloth has broken free from its regal confines. It has transitioned into a garment for people from all walks of life. In fact, kente cloth has become so iconic that it holds the esteemed title of the Ghanaian national dress, representing the nation's heritage and unity.
Due to the popularity of kente cloth patterns, production of mass-produced prints with the kente patterns have become popular throughout West Africa, and by extension the whole of Africa.
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Today, there is a still a wide use of Kente cloth in events such as ceremonies and commencements. Many universities, such as Florida A&M University, wear an Academic stole. This historically black institution incorporates historically accurate African art through the use of Kente cloth stoles. Traditionally, wearing a Kente cloth stole was a "college ritual of marking oneself with a visible sign of Africa"[19] and "literally weaves ... wisdom of Africa"[19] and incorporates the history and culture of African art.
In June 2020, Democratic Party leaders kneeled in the United States Capitol Visitor Center for 8 minutes and 42 seconds in protest, causing controversy by wearing stoles made of kente cloth to show support against systemic racism. While it was said to be an act of unity with African-Americans, many, including Jade Bentil, a Ghanaian-Nigerian researcher, voiced objection tweeting "My ancestors did not invent Kente cloth for them to be worn by publicity (obsessed) politicians as 'activism' in 2020". There is also a controversy with Louis Vuitton's usage of a printed and monogrammed version of kente in their autumn-winter 2021 collection by American creative director Virgil Abloh, whose grandmother was Ghanaian. Additionally, questions of ownership of the woven craft, its image, and location of ateliers of production of kente.
To this question of cultural appropriation, Abloh's response to the press in 2020 was: "Provenance is reality; ownership is a myth.
The Kente Weaving Song
The Fugu Smock: Northern Ghana's Traditional Attire
The Ghanaian Smock or Tani is a fabric worn by both women and men in Ghana. It is the most popular traditional attire in the country. The fabric is called Tani in Dagbani, while the male and female wear are respectively called Bin'gmaa and Bin'mangli. The smock is also called Bun-nwↃ or Bana by Mamprusis, fugu in Mossi, batakari in the Asante dialect, dansika in Frafra, and Banaa in Kusaal both in the upper east region. It is worn by Royals and civilians across Dagbon and other northern regions, but popular across Ghana. The smock and Kente cloth are the national dress of Ghana.
The smock originated in the northern region of Ghana, during the reign of Yaa Naa Zanjina, but widely used in West Africa and across the world. The smock is traditionally made from hand-loomed strips comprising a blend of dyed and undyed cotton yarns.
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Historically, the smock was rarely seen in the West. As recently as the 1990s, immigrants from Ghana were the only individuals seen wearing the smock. All of that changed as the popularity of films produced in Ghana increased among Black Americans and Caribbeans.
Purple Hibiscus was a temporary, large-scale public art installation created by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama. The centrepiece of Purple Hibiscus was approximately 2,000 square meters of bespoke, hand-woven pink and purple fabric. Hundreds of craftspeople from Tamale, Ghana, created this fabric specifically for the installation. Sewn onto the fabric were roughly 100 "batakari" robes, traditionally worn by Ghanaians in both northern and southern regions. The title, Purple Hibiscus, referenced Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel of the same name, which explores themes of family, tradition, and change in post-colonial Nigeria. The vibrant colours and textures of the installation contrasted starkly with the Barbican's concrete exterior. Mahama's use of handcrafted textiles highlighted the importance of human labour and traditional craft practices. The batakari robes themselves embodied the concept of intergenerational knowledge and cultural heritage.
