Adanwomase Kente Festival

Location & Importance

Adanwomase is a town in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, approximately 27 km for Kumasi, the capital of the region and the second largest city in Ghana. The name means “under the Adanwo tree”.

It is famous because of its long tradition of kente weaving. It is one of the several towns that the Asantehene (king of the Ashantis) sent apprentices from to present day Cote d’Ivoire in the late 17^th century to learn about the art of weaving.

Adanwomase is the home of the Mfufutumahene (chief responsible for weaving the traditional black and white kente for Ashanti royals) who is the custodian of the seseɛ (small basket containing all historical samples of kente woven in Adanwomase).

The Kente Industry

Kente weaving and its associated commercial activities continues to make a substantial contribution to the town and other kente weaving communities in Ashanti.

More recently the town has focused non ecotourism as an important industry, together with the opening of the Visitor Centre. People from all over the world including the African diaspora come to visit the town where they are given guided tours during which they learn about the history and cultural significance of kente and as well as demonstrations of the weaving technique for the fabric.

You can see a tour guide at work here

What You Can Expect at the Festival

Lots of colour!!!

In 2018 the authorities in Adanwomase established a festival to promote the cloth and the town as a tourist destination.

In September 2019 our team attended the festival. Activities included a display of colourful kente cloth, cultural drumming and dancing and a durbar attended by the chiefs and elders of the town as well as dignitaries from outside the town.

The festival site was awash with brightly coloured kente worn by those who attended. We hope that you enjoy these pictures and clips from our visit which should give the reader an indication of what happens there on the day.