By Emmanuel Onyango

Once upon a time, na only royal people dey wear Kente cloth, but now Ghanaians dey see am as di most fine fabric for di world. Di bold patterns and vibrant colours na national pride, and e dey come from one old craft wey don dey since centuries ago.

No be surprise say dis month, Unesco, wey be UN culture agency, announce say dem don put Kente cloth for dia list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Di handwoven cloth dey make person look elegant, and di designs dey show di region wey di person come from and di kain fashion sense wey dem get.

“E dey sweet me well well when I wear Kente cloth. Di way I dey waka go change, di way I dey talk go change. E dey classy,” Bright Yeboah, wey dey live for Accra, di capital of Ghana, tok give TRT Afrika.

Wetin be Kente and how dem dey make am?

Kente weaving with di bold colours don dey since di 17th century AD, according to wetin some people tok, among di Asante and Ewe people wey dey part of di Ashanti kingdom for modern-day Ghana.

Dem dey use silk, cotton or rayon take weave di cloth with wooden weaving looms, either for house or for private workshops. Di knowledge dey pass from generation to generation for weaving families through apprenticeship.

To make one cloth fit take weeks, depending on di size.

Di different colours wey dem dey use for di art get dia own meaning: gold mean status, red mean passion, and yellow mean fertility, among others.

“Di age, social status and gender of di person wey go use di cloth dey influence di kain colour and design wey dem go choose,” Unesco tok for dia statement as dem recognise di cloth as cultural heritage.

Traditionally, men dey wear Kente as wrapper for dia shoulder, while women dey wear am as two pieces – one ankle-length dress and one shawl.

“Both men and women dey involved for di production process, and di fabric dey promote information transfer and exchange. E dey also show identity and reflect di social history of di communities,” Unesco add for dia statement.

Wetin be di cultural significance?

“To wear Kente dey give person plenty pride. E dey show strong cultural identity and respect for heritage. Kente dey show respect for tradition and e dey share Ghanaian culture with di world,” Amos Homeda tok give TRT Afrika.

Homeda don dey inside Kente business for 25 years after im learn di craft for im papa workshop. Im get Kente weaving workshop for Accra wey dey employ weavers to produce di traditional fabric. Im also get shop wey dey sell di finished cloth.

“Di pride wey dey inside Kente dey come from di deep history and di skill wey dem take make am. Each piece dey tell story, e dey show di dedication and artistry of di weavers. E be symbol of resilience, creativity and di endurance of Ghana culture,” im add.

Kente dey available for everybody, but e no dey cheap. Di reason be say e get special status wey need high quality materials and di hard work wey dem dey put inside.

“Kente no cheap and e no suppose cheap. Kente na art and art dey cost. E dey carry royalty. Anybody wey wear am suppose sabi di value of Kente cloth,” Yeboah tok.

Di price of finished Kente dress dey depend on di kain cloth and di pattern wey di person choose. E fit range from $200 to $2,000, according to Homeda.

Latifa Abdullahi, wey dey live for Accra, tok give TRT Afrika how she save money for months to fit buy Kente cloth for her wedding dress.

“Di first time wey I wear Kente na for my wedding day and I feel so good, I feel like royal. Di price dey high well well. I save for four months,” she remember.

Booming Kente business

Apart from di cultural value, Kente weaving na big business wey dey get customers from all over di world.

“Di market dey grow. We don see big improvement both for Ghana and internationally. Di global interest dey rise. We dey always follow market trend by bringing new designs and styles, but we dey still keep di traditional weaving technique,” Homeda tok give TRT Afrika.

“If person handle Kente business well, e fit bring plenty money. We dey focus on sustainable practices, fair wages for our weavers and high quality materials,” im add.

But di machine-made versions wey cheap don bring competition.

Young designers dey try put Kente cloth inside modern formal clothes and even everyday casual wear. Dem dey see Kente as versatile cloth wey fit make any outfit fine.

Ghana, wey get population of about 35 million, na di second-most populous country for West Africa. E be Africa’s biggest gold producer and one of di top for di world. E also be di second biggest cocoa producer for di world after Côte d'Ivoire.

Ghana get two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Di first one na di Asante traditional buildings wey be 10 traditional buildings from di time of Ashanti Empire near Kumasi. Di second one na di forts and castles wey di Portuguese, Dutch and British use as outposts during di colonial era for di country coast.

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