A Cloth to Wear: Value Embodied in Ghanaian Textiles

Abstract

Drawing on the case study of Ghanaian Kente cloth, economic and social-cultural value is framed as a socially constructed phenomenon. Prices of such goods provide an indicator of community value, whilst belief in the value of an artistic work is a reflection of the production and consumption of that artwork. As such, the chapter demonstrates how cultural value as a concept is multiple and fluid. In analysing the manifold and shifting cultural values of Kente, through time and space, particular attention is given to the complex intertwining of social, historical and aesthetic values imbued in the materiality of the Kente cloth. The chapter argues strongly that Kente belongs to the fashion domain given the primacy of innovation in design as aesthetic value interpretations. At the same time, the chapter demonstrates the importance of continuity with the past as a connection to identity and sense of place.