By Tariq Rasheed

This weekend we had the pleasure of going to Kumasi where we visited multiple markets and saw the processes of making certain clothes. Visiting the village where they make kente cloth was cool to see because we got to witness the actual manufacturing of the material. There were no machines making these items, but people creatively using their own hands and feet. After that, we went to another village where they take the kente cloth and essentially screen print Ghanaian symbols onto the cloth. This, like the manufacturing of kente, was a natural process; the screen printing master used trees and carved symbols to print on cloth. The process of what he does is complex, with multiple layers going into the creation of the ink.

Seeing these people create such beautiful materials and designs is truly remarkable. It shows what humans are capable of when we can’t rely on machinery to do everything for us. We then visited the largest market in all of Ghana. What a sight that was to see, thousands of people lined the streets and a multi-story building to sell all kinds of goods, from food to clothing and jewelry there was no shortage of inventory. This place can be overwhelming because of how packed it is and the amount of vendors there. Having to weave through traffic on foot to get to our destinations was scary but fun as I felt like I was in a video game. Overall Kumasi was a great experience and I’m glad I was a part of the visit.