Arts + Culture
Akan goldweights: the tiny brass sculptures that weighed gold dust and carried proverbs
For centuries, Akan traders weighed gold dust using small brass weights cast in geometric shapes and figures of…
Asante
Arts + Culture
The Golden Stool: the sacred throne that holds the soul of the Asante nation
The Golden Stool, Sika Dwa Kofi, is the sacred symbol of the Asante nation. According to tradition, it…
Arts + Culture
The atumpan: how Asante’s talking drums speak Twi
The atumpan are a pair of Asante talking drums, one higher and one lower in pitch, that reproduce…
Arts + Culture
Gye Nyame to Sankofa: a guide to Adinkra symbols and where they come from
Adinkra symbols are visual proverbs from Asante culture, stamped onto cloth with carved calabash stamps and dye. Ntonso,…
Arts + Culture
Kente at Bonwire: the weaving village behind Ghana’s most famous cloth
Bonwire, a town near Kumasi, is famous as a centre of Asante kente weaving. The cloth is woven…