On the commemoration of the 66th Independence Day Celebrations of Ghana, Volta 2023, the performance of Agotime (The Master weavers of “Kee na te” -Kente) on the parade grounds was a delightful sight to behold.
In that serpentine corner of the Volta Region, nestles the home of Kente, a place where the cultural identity of Ghana is crafted in colourful palettes. Agotime is a breathtakingly serene community, where the dramatic shuttles fly through the warp with rhythmic sounds; Agotime is a place where the master weaver deftly crafts Ghana’s identity. Kente is an identity that showcases who we are, our values and what unite us as one people with a common purpose.
Agotime is the cradle of Kente. From the miniature tetrapod loom to the airborne one, Kee na tee was the name, which later became Kente. The symbolism of Kente is at the core of our identity.
Kente is a timeless African heritage. It gives us a sense of nationalism and pride as Africans. The patterns and designs have deeper philosophical underpinnings. The threads, different in size, colour and shape, stick together as one beautiful piece to resonate with our identity – first as Ghanaians and then as Africans.
The creativity and technology behind Kente are Ghana’s best kept secrets, but in times like the celebration of Ghana’s independence, the master weaver, who is like a software engineer, needs to ride in his airborne loom to make a case for the sublime Kente designs, each with its own story to tell.
The ancestors of yore who invented Kente have charged Agotime with projecting Ghana and Africa to the world through Kente. And we consider it a sacred duty to be the torchbearers.
Certainly, the tricolour of the national flag with a black star can project the Ghanaian to the world, but Kente captures the soul and spirit not only of Ghana but of the whole black African race.
Like the Masai giraffe that towers above anything that walks on two or four legs, the master weaver in his airborne loom welcomes Ghana and the world to the Volta Region.
In the airborne loom is Mr. Israel Kporku with Andy Hallo.
Authored by George Grandy-Hallow (PhD.)
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