A Ghanaian Kente weaver at work
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12th May, 2010
Minister Advocates Patenting Of Kente
Mrs. Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs has called for the patenting of Kente as a national heritage.
She said commercial reproduction of the traditional fabric by pirates is undermining the creativity of local artisans who need to be protected.
Mrs. Azumah-Mensah who is also the Member of Parliament for the area said this yesterday, at the launch of this year’s Kente Festival (Agbamevorza) celebrated by the chiefs and people of the Agotime Traditional Area of the Volta region.
This year’s festival, which is under the theme ‘Kente, our heritage for wealth creation,’ will be climaxed with a durbar at Agotime-Kpetoe on September 4.
She called for discussions among stakeholders on the need for artisans to register their patterns as an intellectual property and promote enforcement of their rights under the law.
Mrs. Azumah-Mensah said given the needed attention, the Kente industry will serve as a catalyst for poverty reduction.
She said reaping the benefits the Kente industry would require a number of difficult and tough decisions to preserve “the heirloom heritage bequeathed by our fore fathers.”
Mrs. Azumah-Nelson said identity of the country will be lost without the preservation of its heritage, adding “it is for this reason that I am proud that Ghanaians find their true international identity through Kente.”
She said most Ghanaian festivals are celebrated in remembrance of a historic event,” however, the Agotime Kente Festival is celebrated in honour of a vocation and identification symbol that is unique to the people of Ghana.”
Mrs. Azumah-Mensah said the festival, has served as a unifying force for the people for a common purpose, adding that through the festival, an 89-year-old chieftaincy dispute in the Agotime State was successfully resolved.
Launching the festival, Mr. Kwabena Acheampong, Deputy Minister of Tourism said the government in collaboration with the United Nations is supporting the Kente Weaving industry with micro-credit.
He said about 40 kente weavers have been grouped into a cooperative to access loans to improve the industry.
He advised the organizers of the festival to join hands with tour operators to create a platform to market kente internationally.
In a speech delivered on his behalf, Nene Nuer Keteku III, Konor of Agotime Traditional Area said the festival has always evoked powerful emotions of the artistic ingenuity of their forebears and symbolized some of the fundamental human ideals of the people of Ghana.
He said through new motifs and designs are constantly being developed, there is a large body of old motifs and aesthetic designs that have been left behind and forgotten by the majority of weavers.
“The festival therefore continues to serve as the path finder to these old designs for documentation and preservation for posterity.”
Nene Keteku said many local and foreign textile companies have resorted to copying the kente designs which only goes to lower the high esteem of the kente fabric.
He said it is against this background that there is the need to protect and preserve the intellectual property of the designers and weavers.
She said commercial reproduction of the traditional fabric by pirates is undermining the creativity of local artisans who need to be protected.
Mrs. Azumah-Mensah who is also the Member of Parliament for the area said this yesterday, at the launch of this year’s Kente Festival (Agbamevorza) celebrated by the chiefs and people of the Agotime Traditional Area of the Volta region.
This year’s festival, which is under the theme ‘Kente, our heritage for wealth creation,’ will be climaxed with a durbar at Agotime-Kpetoe on September 4.
She called for discussions among stakeholders on the need for artisans to register their patterns as an intellectual property and promote enforcement of their rights under the law.
Mrs. Azumah-Mensah said given the needed attention, the Kente industry will serve as a catalyst for poverty reduction.
She said reaping the benefits the Kente industry would require a number of difficult and tough decisions to preserve “the heirloom heritage bequeathed by our fore fathers.”
Mrs. Azumah-Nelson said identity of the country will be lost without the preservation of its heritage, adding “it is for this reason that I am proud that Ghanaians find their true international identity through Kente.”
She said most Ghanaian festivals are celebrated in remembrance of a historic event,” however, the Agotime Kente Festival is celebrated in honour of a vocation and identification symbol that is unique to the people of Ghana.”
Mrs. Azumah-Mensah said the festival, has served as a unifying force for the people for a common purpose, adding that through the festival, an 89-year-old chieftaincy dispute in the Agotime State was successfully resolved.
Launching the festival, Mr. Kwabena Acheampong, Deputy Minister of Tourism said the government in collaboration with the United Nations is supporting the Kente Weaving industry with micro-credit.
He said about 40 kente weavers have been grouped into a cooperative to access loans to improve the industry.
He advised the organizers of the festival to join hands with tour operators to create a platform to market kente internationally.
In a speech delivered on his behalf, Nene Nuer Keteku III, Konor of Agotime Traditional Area said the festival has always evoked powerful emotions of the artistic ingenuity of their forebears and symbolized some of the fundamental human ideals of the people of Ghana.
He said through new motifs and designs are constantly being developed, there is a large body of old motifs and aesthetic designs that have been left behind and forgotten by the majority of weavers.
“The festival therefore continues to serve as the path finder to these old designs for documentation and preservation for posterity.”
Nene Keteku said many local and foreign textile companies have resorted to copying the kente designs which only goes to lower the high esteem of the kente fabric.
He said it is against this background that there is the need to protect and preserve the intellectual property of the designers and weavers.
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