Harnessing Kente Heritage For Economic Empowerment In Bonwire

This year marks the 20^th edition of the Bonwire Kente Festival which has over the years showcased the rich heritage of Asante to the rest of the world. As part of the launch, a unique cloth will be out-doored as official festival cloth which will be available for sale ahead of the festival, during and after.

Among the Asante, a popular legend relates how two young men—Kuragu and his friend Kwaku Ameyaw—learned the art of weaving by observing a spider weaving its web. One night, the two went out into the forest to check their traps, and they were amazed by a beautiful spider’s web whose many unique designs sparkled in the moonlight. The spider, named Ananse, offered to show the men how to weave such designs in exchange for a few favors. After completing the favors and learning how to weave the designs with a single thread, the men returned home to Bonwire, and their discovery was soon reported to Asantehene Opemsoɔ Osei Tutu, first ruler of the Asante kingdom. The Asantehene adopted their creation, named kente due to its resemblance to the local basket kenten, as a royal cloth reserved for special occasions, and Bonwire became the leading kente weaving center for the Asantehene and his court.

Kente, now Ghana’s national cloth is one indigenous handicraft that has won worldwide recognition. There are many types of Kente each with its own symbolism and name, which tells the history, culture and social practice of the weavers of the cloth. As declared a national cloth on the attainment of independence on 6th March 1957, Kente is used for different purposes and at different functions. It is important to note that Kente is used not only for its beauty but also for its representational imperative. The weaver derive names and meaning from moral values, oral literature, philosophical concepts, human behaviour, individual achievements, animal life, proverbs and social code of conduct.

Since ascending the Bonwire Stool Nana Bobie Ansah II has taken a keen interest in maintaining the legacy of Kente and harnessing its potentials for development. Hence, this year’s Asante Bonwire Kente Festival is organized under the auspices of Bonwire Stool in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Arts, Ejisu Municipal Assembly and the kind support of key stakeholders. Asantehene as the embodiment of Asante culture and traditions is the chief custodian of kente clothing. In support of the kente industry and entrenching its history and development, Asantehene has created the Kentehene stool. By leveraging the support of these key traditional authorities and combining this with an understanding the potential of the kente industry, the festival committee is moving forward with this year’s event customized around the need to promote development and economic empowerment in Bonwire. This will enable an interaction between the formal and informal sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

The festival will among others seek funds for the establishment of the Bonwire Kente Innovation Hub aligned to the objective of the festival which is to showcase culture and harness its potential for development and economic empowerment. Through this, we seek to dialogue and collaborate with corporate institutions and other stakeholders to integrate technology, business development services, design and research as part of the activities marking the festival this year and projects thereafter.

The weavers in Bonwire and its environs are far more than just craft people. Each of the estimated 10, 000 weavers represents the work of an entrepreneur. As such, the festival has been extended beyond the cultural realm to include business development opportunities as well. Therefore, this festival will offer an opportunity not only for weavers to showcase their craft, but also for other corporate institutions to do the same. In addition, the festival will serve as a forum for exchanging ideas for further business development. This is expected to yield an expansion of the creative capacity of enterprises or offer a set of products that are well-suited for a given enterprise. All of these interactions will allow for weavers to develop the tools to ensure sustainable businesses in the long run, which in turn means a larger customer base and commensurate incomes.

Hence, the Festival Committee is open to partnership and sponsorship opportunities for the upcoming festival and to long term win-win collaborations aimed at enhancing business prospects.

The main event will take place in Bonwire from 3^rd -9^th December, 2018. The first day (3^rd December) of the festival will be dedicated to a clean-up exercise, followed by cross country race and cycling on the 3^rd and 4^th, exhibitions will be held concurrently on the 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and 8^th, musical concerts, symposium, Kente Obaasima, initiation rites and sporting events. The final day (December 9^th) will be devoted to thanks giving service and networking sessions.

I invite everyone here and beyond to the never to be missed Asante Bonwire Kente Festival showcasing the very best of Asante in a weeklong session of activities and programs.

Thank you for your time and look forward to hosting you during the festival.

Bright Atta Poku
Asante Bonwire Kente Festival Committee Chairman