KENTE CLOTH PROJECT
What is the Kente Cloth?
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
colours, 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 term kente has its roots in the
word kenten, which means a basket. The first kente weavers
used raffia fibres to weave cloths that looked like kenten
(a basket); and thus were referred to as kenten ntoma; meaning
basket cloth. 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.
Kente Cloths carry exotic names such as:
Gods Eyebrow (The Rainbow)
Thousand Shields
Lion Catcher
One who climbs a tree worth climbing gets the help deserved
The extended family is a force
There are parallels between Scottish tartans that represent
the different clans in Scotland, and the kente cloth that represents
the various tribes in Africa.
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The Kente
Cloth Project
The idea was borne out of a marketing campaign
by the Advocacy Project. This organisation provides advocacy
for Black people who are within the mental health system.
What makes the organisation unique is the fact that they
work to Afro-centric values as opposed to Euro-centric
found almost everywhere. What the organisation was looking
for was a visual representation that portrayed immediate
strong positive Black images. The kente cloth is now
used throughout the project.
JD-Associates
were asked to raise the funds for the project and were
successful in securing £5,000
from Awards for All.
The Kente Cloth Project was designed to involve all
members of the Advocacy Project and its sister organisation,
the Mary Seacole House, including trustees, staff, volunteers,
and service users themselves. The theme had to include
the kente cloth throughout, and several were imported
from Ghana.
There was an added pressure
in that the deadline for completion was brought forward
to coincide with the celebration of the 200th anniversary
of Mary Seacole's birth. What should have been a month
long project was completed in just over a week thanks
to the extraordinary long hours put in by JD-Associates.
Judy Cummings, Manager
Black Mental Health, said, I am absolutely delighted
with the Exhibition. The images have incredible artistic
merit and demonstrate such positive images not just of
Black people but also of people with mental health problems.
I hope that we will be able to take the show to other
parts of the City.”
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Over
an eight-day period, three community photographic artists,
Vic Pigula, Bill McDonough and Peter Mack worked within
the organisations to produce a series of 20” x 30” images
in and around the building. Much of the service users
art is incorporated in the exhibition, and all participants
helped in the design and selection process. The exhibition
was launched on Friday 14th October as part of Black
History Month.
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view these images please click
here |
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Alternatively you can call Evelynne
Opomu on 0151 709 9442 to arrange a viewing . |
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office@advocacyproject.co.uk |
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Poems read
out by Patrick Graham - Black Out Productions
Celebrating 200 year celebrations of the birth of Mary Jane Seacole.
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One
thousand nine hundred and eighty one |
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Get
Along |
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Mary, Mary Controversy |
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Crimea |
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