INTRODUCTION
The arts of a people offer an illuminating view of its culture - its thought processes, attitudes, beliefs, and values. The art of a particular culture can reveal ever changing human images and attitudes, so awareness of a people's indigenous art, visual and cultural symbols can become an important medium for cross-cultural understanding.
"Just as written documents [that
utilize phonographs] materialize history in literate communities,"
as pointed out by Fraser and Cole (1972, p. 313), "so in traditional
societies, art forms make the intangible past more real."
Some of these art forms utilize pictograms
and ideograms, and are pregnant with text that symbolizes ideas on several
levels of discourse. The focus of this project is to utilize the pictograms
and ideograms encoded in the arts of the Akan to decode some aspects of
the history, beliefs, social organizations, social relations, and other
ideas of the Akan of Ghana.
The Akan of Ghana and La Cote d'Ivoire have incorporated the ideographic and pictographic writing systems in their arts in such media as textiles, metal casing, wood carving, and architecture. The Akan's use of pictographs and ideograms reached its most elaborate forms in the regalia of the king's court. As Kyerematen (1964, p. 1) has written
the regalia of Ghanaian chiefs have been of special significance in that they have not been merely symbols of the kingly office but have served as the chronicles of early history and the evidence of traditional religion, cosmology and social organization ... [and] it has been customary for the regalia to be paraded whenever the chief appears in state at a national festival or durbar, so that all who see them may read, mark and inwardly digest what they stand for.The Akan Cultural Symbols Project Online is designed as an educational resource to show the relationships between Akan visual arts and Akan verbal genres. It is also to show some aspects of the rich cultural heritage of the Akan of Ghana.
In developing the Akan Symbols Project as educational resource, the goal
is to reach as many people as possible with some aspect of the Project.
The Internet is one best medium through which this goal of the Project
will be achieved. The Project, therefore, comprises this web site - Akan
Cultural Symbols Project Online; a series of books and catalogues; photo
exhibitions, lectures and workshops; and multi-media CD-ROMs.
The Akan Cultural Symbols Project Online serves as an introduction and
guide to the related books and CD-ROM components. Continually, we will
update and add to this web site new resources that become available as
part of the Akan Cultural Symbols Project.
We
just received new shipment of copies of the book on November 15, 2006.
The first book in the series is now available and is entitled Cloth
as metaphor: (Re)reading the adinkra cloth symbols of the Akan of Ghana.
Copies of Cloth as Metaphor can be obtained from the publisher, Centre
for Indigenous Knowledge Systems - CEFIKS at the following url: http://www.cfiks.org/publication.htm. You
may also fill out this mail-order
form or pay by Paypal.
The first CD-ROM that catalogues about 800 of the adinkra cloth symbols has been
completed and is available from CEFIKS Publications, 3548 Cherry Hill Court,
Beltsville, MD 20705. You may call 301-592-7615 for further information on how
to get any of these publications.
A photo exhibition on adinkra cloth symbols,
Cloth As Metaphor, has been developed for borrowing.
Contact Dr. G. F. Kojo Arthur at
Click here to submit online form
for more information about this exhibition.
The Akan Cultural Symbols Project has a schools/community outreach program that
has been taken to public and private schools, public libraries, churches, and
universities. Contact Dr. G. F. Kojo Arthur at
Click here to submit online form
for more information about this outreach program.
There are two other
CD-ROMs in the works. One will be a multi-media CD-ROM on adinkra cloth
symbols and is targeted for use in secondary schools. The other CD-ROM,
The Language of Akan Gold Weights will be based on symbols from the gold
weights.
This web site is cited on the The
Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG). SOSIG is a freely available
Internet service
EXHIBITIONS
Cloth As Metaphor Exhibition
Cloth As Metaphor
is an exhibition about indigenous symbols and the arts of the Akan of Ghana in
KENTE CLOTH EXHIBITION
The Language of the Kente Cloth of the Akan and Ewe of Ghana
For more information on these exhibits contact: Click here to submit online form
Telephone: 301-592-7615.
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We are glad to announce that the Centre for
Indigenous Knowledge - CEFIKS - has a master kente weaver, Ekɔoba Gyasi,
in-residence in the USA. Ekooba Gyasi is a master weaver from Bonwire,
Asante. Mr. Gyasi has demonstrated, lectured and taught kente weaving in
schools in Ghana, and in schools and museums across the USA. He provides
demonstrations and workshops for schools and colleges and the general
public. For more information about how to get Mr. Gyasi to give
demonstration to your group or school, please contact CEFIKS Publications, 3548 Cherry Hill Court, Beltsville, MD 20705. Telephone: 301-592-7615 E-mail: Click here to submit online form This section uses the Gentium font - which can be downloaded from the Internet. |
Master Weaver in Residence
Last revised: 02/22/2007
© G. F. Kojo Arthur and Robert Rowe - 1998-2001
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The Akan Cultural Symbols Project has been made possible through the help and support of several people and institutions. We will like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. Betty J. Cleckley, Vice President for Multicultural Affairs and International Programs, Marshall University for providing partial funding for the field research for the Project. Our thanks also go to Nana Antwi Buasiako, Asantehene Kyeame; "Teacher" John Nsiah, Ntonso; Mr. Samuel Appiah, Asokwa; Mr. Joe Gazari, National Museum, Accra; Mr. Kofi Dwemfour, gold weight smith, Kumasi; Opanyin Kojo Bambir, carver, Achimota; Mr. Akwasi Owusu, Suame-Magazine; and Rev. J. Y. Bannerman, Tema who provided the contacts and shared their time, knowledge and other resources with us. |
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Click here to submit online form Dr. Arthur was responsible for all the content information Prof. Robert E. Rowe,
(formerly with Art Dept, Marshall University) All the pictures and text material on this site ©1998 by G. F. Kojo Arthur and Robert Rowe. Some pictures and text material © 2001 by G. F. Kojo Arthur.Copyright permission for all images and text:
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