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The woes of Kente industry at Bonwire

By Prince Appiah
Secretary of Bonwire Weaving Center-Eric Kwartengon the leftSecretary of Bonwire Weaving Center-Eric Kwarteng(on the left)
16.03.2014 LISTEN

Players in the Kente industry at Bonwire in the Ashanti Region are going through difficult times due to bad roads as they struggle to promote the traditional cloth.

Bonwire is one of the communities affected by the poor state of the Kumasi-Antoa Road, which prompted violent demonstration by residents, earlier this week.

Residents of the proverbial Bonwire Kente town are crying for attention as the once lucrative business is fast collapsing.

The greater portion of the main road leading to the town has been eaten away by erosion, while pot-holes take over the rest.

As we drove along, we hardly met any vehicle for over thirty minutes, and the deterioration become more and more pronounced, getting worse by the day.

Businessmen and tourists who used to trek to the Kente Village to buy products now make a last stop in Kumasi for their purchases for fear of their vehicles being damaged.

Residents are worried people are being compelled to explore other avenues for the means of livelihood in the Kwabre East district of the Ashanti region.

Secretary of the Bonwire Kente Centre, Eric Kwarteng, says the situation has already cost the centre some of their best weavers.

The Bonwire Kente Centre was established in 1995 to provide job opportunities, especially for the youth.

However, last year alone it lost thirteen of the over 60 Kente weavers the centre engages.

Those who are still into the business tell me their only motivation is that they were born into it.

Until now, tourists from around the world visited the hub frequently to learn about, and buy Kente.

The fortunes have dwindled and hardly do visitors come to the town.

Nana Opibour Addae Yeboah Santamire the second is Otumfuor Kentehene (meaning Chief in charge of Kente).

According to him, he has been working tirelessly by formal and informal means for authorities to come to their aid.

He is however worried the nation has turned a blind eye to local tourism which he says is costing the nation economically.

He is worried the nation has turned a blind eye to local tourism. He adds that the business in the community risk losing its workers to various social vices.

Assemblywoman for Bonwire, Akua Afriyie, wants government to intervene to save the dying Kente industry.

Story by Prince Appiah.

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