By now, you know we’re a little obsessed with Kente Cloth here at Kente Kingdom. In the past we’ve touched on topics such as the significance of Kente colours, Kente designs, names and so much more but today, let’s talk about something a little more significant. Let’s talk print verses woven, and why handwoven Kente is always better than Kente print. Most importantly, let’s talk about the impact of printed Kente on the indigenous weavers, and Ghana’s textile industry as a whole.
We know we’re biased when we say woven Kente is better than printed Kente but before you argue, hear us out. At Kente Kingdom, we will always patronise authentic Kente over its printed version for the simple reason that Kente prints are fake, and are therefore inferior to the real thing. Who wants Kente imitation when you can have the real thing? Who wants fake Kente when you can have genuine handwoven Kente handcrafted by an indigenous weaver in Ghana? Over the years we’ve watched Kente garnish a level of love and adoration that transcends far beyond the borders of Ghana. We’ve witnessed Kente patterns and designs imitated and reprinted on everything from coffee mugs, coasters to tissue boxes. We’ve even seen Kente designs being used on toilet roll holders and dog collars - we’ll just leave that there….
With Kente being the most widely known cloth produced in Africa, this has come at a heavy price both to the weavers and the nation as whole. The evolution of Kente has gone on a journey as a cloth strictly reserved for royal consumption, to that of such liberal use it almost boarders profanity - But who is to blame? When looking critically at the situation, I believe the devalue of Kente as a sacred cloth began with the Pan-African movement [Panafest] of the early 90s, when there was a sudden surge, adoration and demand for all things Kente. Growing up in Ghana, I witnessed Kente designs printed on anything and everything just to attract a sale. There seemed to be little regard for the long term commercialisation of our culture, our heritage, a royal cloth. Today the devalue and mundane use of this sacred cloth is obvious for all to see, but the devastating impact on the weaving industry is seldom talked about. As with many of our African prints of today, the majority are made [printed] off the shores of Africa. Even when home-grown textile production houses create and print new designs, the new cloths are immediately copied on release, and within a matter of weeks, we have’ fake’ imitation African prints all over our markets. The situation is so severe that i’m told well over 50% of the prints on the market today are fake even if you buy it directly in an African market.
The issue of textiles forgery is decades old and is one which has obviously not escaped Kente cloth. The problem is, these prints are churned out in droves, mass produced in places like China, Turkey, etc predestined for the shores of African and beyond. Naturally, the economic benefits of mass consumption which would have otherwise gone to Africa suddenly finds itself elsewhere. This is the case for Ghana’s world famous Kente cloth.
For every piece of authentic handwoven Kente you buy, you not only buy from Ghana, consequently you trade with Ghana too. Naturally the economic benefits goes directly to the weaver [and subsequently to the nation] which then contributes to the growth and development of Ghana’s homegrown textiles industry. Unlike that of Kente prints, the unassuming ‘print lover’ continues to patronise imitation over genuine Kente, consequently diverting trade elsewhere because for every piece of authentic Kente made by, an indigenous weaver gets paid for their time, labour, creativity and craftsmanship unlike that of Kente prints mass produced by machines in a foreign land. The more we favour printed Kente over genuine Kente Cloth, the more we kill an already struggling industry. We help divert funds away from Africa because we are no longer buying ‘African’ let alone buying from Africa. In other words, when Ghana is robbed of the economic royalties of Kente consumption, the weavers no longer become economic beneficiaries of their craftsmanship and intellectual design. Their designs are ‘stolen’, copied and reprinted which means the weaver is denied recognition for their intellectual property. Furthermore, the nation no longer benefit monetarily from Kente consumption irrespective of international demand. So what’s the solution? In my humble opinion, the solution is to divert the financial and economic benefits of Kente demand [both production and consumption] back to the rightful owners. So the next time you consider buying Kente Cloth, consider authentic Kente because you are not only helping to sustain an ancient African industry, you create job opportunities for the next generation of weavers. You bring the money home to the weavers who reap the financial benefits for their craftsmanship.
This is one of the most simplest ways to contribute to aid not trade agenda in Africa because when we patronize our very own [industries], we not only contribute to the black-owned economy, we contribute to the economic growth of an industry - fashion & textiles. When achieved on a larger scale, we contribute to the economic growth and development of communities, industries, individual nations and the continent as a whole. So buy handwoven Kente because when you choose woven Kente over print, in the end, you have a better chance of buying black-owned, you have a better chance of buying from the rightful source - and that, is the bigger picture. Shop handwoven Kente here, or commission your custom made cloth at COMMISSIONED.
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