Kente cloth is unique to Ghana and is widely used for ceremonial costumes, weddings,
naming ceremonies, and other celebrations. Kente is woven in long narrow strips,
about 14 cm wide and 11 metres long. The cloth is very colourful; the weavers use a
variety of colours together and the designs can be triangular, hexagonal, or geometrical
shapes.
The centre of Kente weaving is the village of Bonwire, near Kumasi. The story has
it that over a hundred years ago, two brothers went into the bush and found a spider
weaving its web. When they came back to the village they got the idea of making some kind
of cloth based on the design of the spider’s web.
Weaving, on traditional narrow looms, is usually done by
men, but women are involved in sewing the strips of cloth together and marketing the
finished product. Kente can be either single or double weave, and is made from
cotton, silk, rayon, and 'shiny’ [lurex] thread. The double weave is stronger,
thicker, and more expensive, but all Kente weavers are able to use both
techniques. |
