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| Arts & Crafts - The Ghanaian Know-how |
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AKAN STOOL CARVING
The Akan stool is carved from one piece of wood.
Its seat part is shaped like a crescent and represents the warm embrace of a mother. The middle part is carved
as a symbolic meaning that can evoke either the status of the owner or beliefs, history, social and cultural values.
The Akan stool has multiple functions and is an object of veneration. It is used as a seat, as an aid to convey
expressive messages, as an indicator of the status of its owner and it is a prominent object associated with rites
of passage, from birth to marriage. The stool serves as a medium through which the living establish and maintain
contact with the ancestors.
To discover our Akan wood carvings, click here.
THE ART OF KENTE WEAVING
Kente cloth is a ghanaian textile developed in the 12th century and closely linked with royalty. Kente is woven by the Ashanti and Ewe people and both ethnic groups claim to have developed kente weaving. Although the Ewe produce their own kind of woven cloth and the Ashanti produce theirs, the two types of kente have much in common. Ewe and Ashanti kente carry intricate warp and weft designs that are distinguished by their names. The designs have traditional meanings and different uses. Characteristically, the Ashanti kente has geometric shapes woven in bright colors. The Ewe kente often creates a tweed effect by plying together different coloured threads in many of the warps. Another specific feature of the Ewe kente is the use of particular forms which represent human beings, animals and household objects. Kente weaving is a wonderfully complex process which testifies to the highly skilled craftsmanship of our forebears. Kente cloth is woven with bright cotton, rayon and silk yarns, using handmade narrow wooden loom in a strip of about four inches (9.5 cm) wide. Various elaborate patterns are produced by special warp laying techniques and by plain and double weaving. Several strips are then sewn together to form larger pieces of cloth. For example, the king size cloths that we propose on our website are made of 17 strips.
This text is an adapted extract from "The Pride of Ewe Kente" by Ahiagble Bob Dennis - Sub-saharan Publishers.
To discover our kente cloths, click here.
AFRICAN BRASS - LOST WAX CASTING TECHNIQUE
The process involves carving beeswax with a knife to create the model. The wax carving is coated with a thin layer of powdered charcoal and dried in the sun. Charcoal coating is repeated a second time. A mix of soft clay and palm fiber is then prepared to mold the wax carving with two thick layers and an inlet pipe is inserted into the clay mold. The mold which encapsulates the wax carving is sun–dried for a day and cooked in a traditional oven. The craftsman uses brass craps purchased in the market to prepare the alloy. He beats the brass pieces into very small ones and melts them in a crucible under high heat from charcoal fire. The molten alloy is poured through the pipe that was inserted into the clay mold. The alloy therefore occupies the space left by the molten wax. The clay mold wit the cast is then left to cool down for about an hour. The mold is broken, thus revealing a unique brass artifact which is then rinsed and soaked in a mix of water with lemon juice for two days. The lemon juice improves the lustre of the brass. The final touch is done by a meticulous work consisting in filing, sanding, scraping, brushing and polishing.
To discover our African brass crafts, click here.
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Pendants & Charms
