Amma Prempeh, a Ghanaian journalist, filmmaker and Kente Ambassador, has advocated for the need to move beyond celebrating kente’s global rise and invest in the infrastructure needed to turn growing demand into economic opportunity.
In a statement released to myjoyonline.com, Amma intimated that the recent international attention on Ghanaian kente presents an opportunity for the country to build a stronger commercial industry around the traditional handwoven cloth.
Her comments come after fabric gained renewed global visibility following the wedding of Bozoma Saint John-Watson and Keely Watson in Ghana, where guests embraced formal kente attire.
The wedding attracted international media attention, including coverage by Forbes. Soon after, His Royal Majesty King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, led a major Akwasidae celebration in Washington, D.C., providing another international platform for Asante culture and kente.
According to Amma Prempeh, these developments are “more than beautiful cultural moments” because they signal growing international demand for authentic Ghanaian Kente.
“But they also raise an important question: Is Ghana ready for what comes next?” she asked.
She believes the country’s existing production capacity, particularly among weavers at Bonwire in the Ashanti Region, may not be sufficient if international orders begin arriving in large volumes.
“Our weavers possess extraordinary skills and generations of knowledge, but the industry still faces challenges, including access to affordable yarn, modern workshops, equipment, and production infrastructure,” she said.
Amma said Bonwire weavers have already expressed the need for a local yarn factory and improved working spaces, arguing that government and private investors must now respond to those needs.
“This is where government and investors must step forward,” she said.
As part of her vision as a Kente Ambassador, Amma Prempeh said she wants to help secure an investor to establish a yarn manufacturing factory at Bonwire, alongside modern workshops and other resources for weavers.
“Such an investment could transform the Kente industry,” she said, adding that a local yarn factory could reduce dependence on imported yarn while modern workshops could improve productivity without undermining the traditional hand-weaving techniques that make Kente unique.
She also called for greater attention to Ghana’s cotton industry to support local yarn production.
“In the spirit of exploring a yarn factory, we must also look into advancing the local cotton industry in Ghana so we don’t end up importing cotton for our yarns,” she said.
The film maker believes the benefits of developing the Kente industry could extend well beyond weaving, creating jobs and businesses across the value chain, including yarn production, fashion, design, tourism, packaging, marketing and exports.
She further urged Ghana to make full use of the Geographical Indication (GI) status attained by Ghana Kente, saying the recognition must be backed by systems that allow consumers to establish the authenticity and origin of the cloth.
“This is an important step in protecting Kente as a product connected to Ghana and its cultural heritage. But protection must now be matched with strong branding, digital certification, and traceability,” she said.
She also proposed a digital certification system that would allow customers anywhere in the world to scan a certificate accompanying a piece of Kente to verify its authenticity, identify its place of origin and learn about its design and, where appropriate, the weaver or weaving community behind it.
Another call she made in her statement is the need to have proper protection of Kente designs and documentation of the knowledge and meanings associated with traditional patterns.
“As global interest grows, we must ensure that Ghanaian communities benefit from the commercial success of their cultural heritage,” she said.
She mentioned that the growing international interest in Kente presents Ghana with an opportunity to position Bonwire not only as the historic home of Kente but also as a modern centre for authentic Kente production, training, innovation and cultural enterprise.
“The world is watching Ghana and, increasingly, the world is wearing Kente. Now is the time to move from celebration to investment,” she said.
“The opportunity is here. The challenge is whether we are prepared to seize it. Ghana must be ready to weave the future.”
Amma, who is also an executive producer, film director, lawyer and Asante royal, has used her work, including the documentary films Kente Weavers Story and Kente Culture Story, to highlight the importance of Kente to Ghanaians and Black Africans, as well as challenges confronting the industry.
With kente’s UNESCO recognition as intangible cultural heritage and its GI status providing important foundations for cultural protection and commercial development, Amma argues that the next step should be building the capacity to ensure Ghana, particularly its weaving communities, captures more of the value generated by growing global interest in the cloth.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Source link
