Chiefs urged to discourage the use of Kente as decorative material

The Centre for Moral Education (CEMED), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) engaged in the promotion of good moral values, has appealed to chiefs to team up with the National Commission on Culture to discourage the use of Kente cloth as a decorative material.

Mr Opoku-Agyemang Prempeh, Executive President of the CEMED, said such an intervention was crucial since the Kente cloth was gradually loosing its "sanctity and honour as a unique traditional attire worn only for very important ceremonies."

Mr Prempeh was speaking on: "Promoting Ghanaian Indigenous Costume; The Role Of The Youth", at a day's seminar on Wednesday.

The seminar was organised by the CEMED for some youth groups, clubs and associations drawn from the Kumasi Metropolitan Area.

"The rate at which some Ghanaians are using the Kente as table spreads and for decoration of coffins and in some cases corpses is a great source of worry.

"It can lead to the erosion of confidence in the Kente as a unique cloth that portrays the culture of Ghanaians.

"It is not only socially wrong but also morally unacceptable for anyone to use the cherished Kente cloth for decorative purposes instead of appearing in it at public functions, festivals and national ceremonies," he said.

Mr Prempeh said already some young people were reluctant putting on the Kente because they assumed that it was no longer a unique cloth.

He advised youth associations to campaign on the need for their members to develop pride and affection in wearing indigenous costumes.