Showcasing the Kente fashion has become a phenomenon worldwide as it is a great news for the Kente industry especially the Kente weaving district; -Bonwire and Adanwomase and its surrounding towns in the Ashanti Region.. The -Kente dance is not only to promote the Kente fashion but it is also to put money in the pockets of weavers as demands for the Kente cloths has skyrocketed.
An Akan oracle often says that when their great god, Odomankoma created the universe he also created three things: Adansi Bona, Kweku Ananse and the Kente cloth. Kente, and Ananse are as axiomatic of Ghana as Joseph and his Technicolor dream coat is to the Israelites.
Kente is an Asante ceremonial cloth hand-woven on a horizontal treadle loom. Strips measuring about 4 inches wide are sewn together into larger pieces of cloths. Cloths come in various colors, sizes and designs and are worn during very important social and religious occasions. In a total cultural context, Kente is more important than just a cloth. It is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, moral values, social code of conduct, religious beliefs, political thought and aesthetic principles.
The original Asante name of the cloth was nsaduaso or nwontoma meaning “a cloth hand-woven on a loom” and is still used today by Asante weavers and elders. However, the term Kente is the most popularly used today, in and outside Ghana. Various ethnic groups in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa weave many variations of narrow-strip cloths, similar to Kente.
This year, the Kente dance fever has gripped Philadelphia, Columbus Ohio, Chicago, Washington and New York like a savanna bush fire and now it is the turn of the Washington Metro. To celebrate this great Ghanaian cultural piece, KENTE will be heralded at a dinner and dance, September 2nd at Elks Lodge Ballroom, 8421 Arlington Boulevard, Fairfax, Virginia.
Once again let us put our hands together and applaud Kojo Bonsu and Agoo magazine for being a trendsetter and also bringing the Kente dance to the Washington Metro.
The organizers, including Ghanam Textiles, BM Boutique, Nana Bour Boutique, The New Ghanaian Newspaper and Charles Ofori, CPA of Ofori & Associates, are hosting the dance in conjunction with Agoo magazine along the lines of other successful dances held in Canada and Pennsylvania. Tickets are selling fast and furiously at $40 per head and sitting space is fast running out. Mr. and Ms. KENTE will be selected by popular acclaim and pictures of guests will end up in colorful splendor in the next issue of Agoo magazine.
Source: GhanaWeb
