In any culture or society, it is important to feel pride in oneself and in one’s origins.  Material objects tend to acquire special meaning through associated cultural or historical contexts.  The kente cloth illustrates this concept with its place in traditional African cultures as well as in African American culture here in the United States.

         In Africa, the wearing of the kente cloth is traditionally limited to the elite – royalty, or those that can afford it (Arnoldi, 1995, 171).  It is handmade by men and is used for specific occasions and distinguishes people of high status.  In some African cultures, such as the Asante, the wearing of kente is customarily restricted to royalty.  The kingship-based society places a high priority on structure and organization.  A symbol of wealth and power, kente reflects not only the strict hierarchy that governs the people, but the important role of the king as well.  The Asante’s naming of cloths, largely based on proverbs that suggest the significance of the king and his essential good ruling of the people, highlights their strict structure and the status placed on the cloth.  Kente possesses such a high value with the Asante that the king has an individual specifically appointed to maintain and store his enormous personal collection of over 300,000 pieces (Ross, 1998, 33).  The cloth’s careful treatment and select use emphasizes its high symbolic status and value when employed to impart messages of social structure and moral behavior (Adler, 1992, 61-62).   

         Not limited to the adornment of the body, kente in Africa serves many functions and is incorporated into several aspects of daily and spiritual life.  The festivals in which kente is prominently displayed generally mark times of transition such as marriage, death and puberty rites, of celebration such as birth and appointment of religious leaders, and of prayer such as paying homage to the gods and blessing the crops (Ross, 1998, 40.  Whatever the context, the presence of kente reminds the users of their cultural past and current community and instills them with an important sense of pride. 

        As of the twentieth century, kente could be worn by anyone in Africa who could afford it, and its uses are expanding even in its place of origin, Ghana, with the outside influence of the West (Arnoldi, 1995, 171).  Alteration due to a need to modernize occurs constantly.  In the Benin Kingdom, the people made a transition from tattooing the body to the wearing of a cloth with similar markings.  The clothing elevated the status of the king and palace and served as a means to unify the people, representing a successful reinvention of tradition as well.  The king wanted to maintain the message of ethnic identity that the tattooing effected but felt the need to modernize the vehicle through which the message was portrayed (Nevadomsky, 1995, 62-73).  With this kind of contact of cultures, osmosis has occurred, the one culture affecting the other while being affected itself.  Just as kente has traveled to the West and become a symbol of Africa, the new innovations of kente are returning to Africa and changing how it is used there.

         Kente in the West can be found on people of all ages and from all levels of society.  It has come to represent to many Americans a symbol and flavor of Africa.  In America, while still somewhat limited in those who choose to wear it, kente can be machine-made.  Employing kente to adorn graduates on commencement day is one of the most popular uses of the cloth (Ross, 1998, 232).  Similar to its functions in Ghana, here kente is used to mark a transition, the ending of academia and the beginning of another stage in life.  It emphasizes the wearers, distinguishing and elevating them, offering yet another example of appropriation and co-modification.  The stoles themselves have significantly altered since their inception, from initially unifying the members of a group to emphasizing the individuality within it.  The transformation signifies the incorporation of the cloth by a widening population and reflects a sense of individualism, uncommon in Africa but so abundant in the United States (Ross, 1998, 234).

        Kente’s patterns also decorate everything from bookmarks and shoes to upholstery and advertisements in America.  Its presence still aims to elevate a sense of pride when it is seen worn by children on Halloween, put on ornaments for Christmas decoration, promoting cars in commercials or advertising Black history month on television.  The purpose of kente in advertising, however, is arguably less pure in nature.  Promoters attempt to reach out and exploit a targeted group of people, appealing to the sensitive issue of cultural identity (Ross, 1998, 193-196).   Calling upon the growing number of African Americans to relate to their heritage, advertisers have tried many angles.  They tell a story, a sort of “code,” that acts as a link, dictating actions or emphasizing status and sophistication, in an attempt to provide an alluring sense of belonging.  Kente has become so prevalent in American society with its bright colors and geometric designs immediately suggesting pride, culture and heritage that the authenticity and appropriateness of use is left practically unquestioned (Ross, 1998, 196).

        With the use of the kente cloth, cultures both in Africa and America express a desire for a connection and unity with others who are similar, whether it is with those within their local, intimate community in Africa or with all African Americans in the West.  The cloth serves to distinguish the members from the group as well.  Both cultures desire an identity, a tie with where they came from, whether it is to the country or continent as a location or its implied heritage and ancestral past. 

        But how true to its original uses, functions and meanings are the innovative Western exploitations?  Are these changes necessary for the continuity of the symbolism or are the alterations in use destructive in nature?  It would be interesting to explore these questions, in the meantime, however, kente offers the possibility of uniting not only people of African descent but of creating perhaps an interest beyond the link of ethnic heritage to the appreciation of cultural diversity.

Bibliography

Ross, Doran. 1998, Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity. Fowler Museum         of Cultural History, Los Angeles.

Adler, Peter and Nicolas Barnard. 1992, African Majesty: Textile Art of the Ashanti and Ewe. London:         Thames and Hudson.

Arnoldi, Mary Jo and Christine Mullen Kreamer. 1995, Crowing Acheivements: African Arts of         Dressing the Head. Los Angeles: Fowler Museum: University of California

Nevadomsky, Joseph and Ekhaguosa Aisien. 1995, “The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and         Scarification of the Benin Kingdom.” African Arts 28 (1), 62-73