By Romie Avivi Stuhl
I didn’t know what Kente cloth was until three months ago. I learned about it as I was preparing a presentation about Ghanaian weddings for my “Media in Ghana” class back in the United States. At the time I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to visit Kumasi, the center for Ashanti culture, and try Kente weaving myself.
The weavers in Kumasi made weaving look easy. They pulled the string through the loom so fast I could barely understand what they were doing.
One of the men in the facility invited me to try my hand at the loom. He instructed me to sit on a wooden stool, take my sandals off and place my feet on the wooden prongs hanging from the loom. As I moved my feet the strings on the loom moved up and down.
The man walked me through the process, yet even with his guidance the loops hanging off the side of the cloth showed where his weaving stopped and mine began.
I thanked the man for allowing me to try this traditional form of weaving and looked around the room at the abundance of colors and patterns. In the back corner I saw a purple, pink and orange patterned cloth. It was different from the many yellow, blue and red ones that lined the walls. “How much is this one?” I asked the seller. “400 cedis,” he replied.
Back in the United States my professor said haggling in Ghana is a part of the culture. But haggling with the seller felt weird. I felt like his work was worth a lot more than he was asking. Back home it would probably cost $400 or about 4500 cedis.
I left the facility with the Kente cloth in my bag and boarded the van to continue our cultural tour of Kumasi. The next stop was a shop that stamps Adinkra symbols on Kente cloth. We learned about the significance of Adinkra symbols to the Ashanti people and about the dye extraction process from tree barks.
As a group we picked a green and yellow Kente cloth. To us the colors represented our school’s colors but in Ashanti culture they represent growth and wealth. We then each picked a symbol to stamp on the cloth.
I picked a symbol of patience and self-discipline.
Ghana has taught me that I am not as patient as I once thought. I am used to the fast paced society of the United States and sometimes struggle when things begin an hour late or tro-tros wait for all seats to fill before leaving. The symbol I picked was a reminder for myself to appreciate Ghana’s slower-paced society and enjoy every moment.
