Kente exhibition launched in Accra
A Kente exhibition has been launched in Accra under the auspices of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture to showcase the various designs of the Kente fabric as well as other products like bags, sandals, hats, neck ties, beads and cowries, all made from Kente.
The exhibition under the theme: “Celebrating our Kente heritage” attracted large patronage from local and foreign visitors.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr. Alexander Asum-Ahensah, described “the kente cloth as a symbol of wealth, social standing and culture sophistication”.
He said Ghanaians recognized and cherished kente with national pride, to the extent that throughout African and the Diaspora, kente cloth had also become a sign of Pan-African fraternity.
“The current dispensation calls for a thorough assessment of our strengths to be able to create opportunities for particularly, the youth and generation yet unborn”, he stated.
He said the unique characteristics about kente cloth were that each had a name and meaning derived from historical events, individual achievements, Ghanaian proverbs, philosophical concepts and moral values. He said that was why the kente fabric which comes in various colours, sizes `and designs are worn during the very important, social and religious occasions.
Mr. Asum-Ahensah said the brilliant colours and intricate designs associated with kente had made the fabric the best known among Ghanaian and West African textiles.
“Athough the kente or traditional hand woven textile industry may be thriving, it is observed that the youth in the industry lack technical expertise to weave the intricate designs and therefore unable to take over from ageing weavers,” he stressed.
He said, it had become necessary for both national and international avenues of marketing to be created for kente products to enable Ghana to benefit from the increasing income from the global creative industry market.
“The kente industry has been identified as having the potential to offer jobs for the youth, which means all kente and traditional hand woven textile industries within the country have bigger role,” he said..jpg)
Dr. Hanna Bisiw, Deputy Minister of Water Resource, Works and Housing, urged the Ministry of Chieftaincy and the Copyright Secretariat to make laws to protect the kente industry.
Present at the occasion were Mr. George Oppong (acting Director of centre National Culture)Nii Nortey III, Osu Mantse and Mrs. Nana Abena Konadu Badu.
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The Ghanaian Times Page: 20 Monday, June 27, 2011 |