Yes, we are a clothing brand, but our logo looks like a comb… Why? Well, bear with me as I introduce you to the famous “Adinkra Symbols of the great Asante (Ashanti) Empire. I’m sure lots of you may be familiar with some of these symbols, but may not know what they mean.
The Adinkra symbols are an ideographic writing system used by the Ashanti Empire (one of the most influential empires that have ever existed). It is believed that these symbols were put together as a result of observations that were made between humans and the objects they used. There are about 65 original symbols, each with a different meaning to it. Scholars believe the meanings of these symbols may have evolved with time, and more symbols have also been added to the original ones over the years.
The symbols are very important to the still vibrant Asante Kingdom in modern day Ghana. The capital of the Asante kingdom is in Kumasi where most of the fabrics worn by the Royals in this kingdom are patterned with these symbols.
One symbol whose meaning has not changed over the years is the “Duafe” meaning wooden comb. This is the symbol of beauty and cleanliness, which is obviously a desirable female quality. A deeper meaning of the “Duafe” emphases the feminine goodness, love, and care.
Now our logo may not look exactly like the original comb, but we couldn’t have borrowed a better symbol than one that represents the beauty, strength, identity, and essence of the Asante woman.
Thanks for reading!
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Source: Toshiie Koike
African prints are cool, right. Well, their history is not as cool as you thought. The history behind these fabrics has been quite interesting and complicated over the years.
Although they are worn mostly in Africa, especially West Africa within countries like Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroun, amongst others, these fabrics, surprisingly do not originate from the African continent. Yeah, they are not African in origin.
What is known today as African prints, Ankara, European Wax or Dutch Wax started as the Batik fabric in Java, Indonesia, formerly known as the Dutch Indies. In the Dutch Indies locals were using the basic technique of wax-resist dying to create batik. This method involved the use of an etching tool called a canting that holds a small amount of hot, liquid wax that allows for intricate patterns to be made on cloth. The wax was melted and then patterned across the blank cloth. From there, the cloth was soaked in dye, which is prevented from covering the entire cloth by the wax. If additional colors were required, the wax-and-soak process was repeated with new patterns. The fact is that these prints have a striking similarity with the wax prints worn today.
The colonial era of Europeans in Indonesia made its biggest impact in the 18th and 19th centuries. Batik was popular with Christian missionaries who used it to cloth converts to the church. Western African soldiers also brought back beautiful Javanese fabrics to their wives after serving in the military in the Dutch East Indies between 1810 and 1862.
In the course of time, Dutch Administrators and Merchants who came along saw an opportunity to mass produce much cheaper machine-made imitations which could outcompete the original batiks in the Indonesian market, affecting the look of batik without all the labor-intensive work required to make the real thing.
Sadly, the mass-produced Dutch batik-inspired clothes failed in Indonesia because the method gave the prints a particular ‘crackle’ effect from dye bleed which cheapened the look to the Javanese who preferred their handmade products.
However, over time, the Dutch learned their fabrics were more popular in sub-Saharan Africa than in Indonesia, possibly as a result of the initial exposure to the Javanese batik by the West African Soldiers. They then ensured that the colors and designs adapted to the needs and cultures of the African to cater to the tastes of this new market.
The interesting thing is that, in Africa, the wax print was a new, beautiful fabric with no comparison and this hastened its adoption.
As Europeans began to sell these wax prints, and the trade became a huge success, in West Africa, largely to women, both rich and poor, who regarded it as a marker of status—West African tastes shaped the evolving design. The local women traders who distributed the fabrics favored brighter colors, tighter patterns, and geometric shapes. New patterns were designed to reflect significant events and local proverbs. Though European manufacturers identified the fabrics by number, West African traders often named them, and those names became widely known.
In some West African countries the Dutch Wax, known as the “Dutch Hollandaise” is used as part of the dowry paid to families to seek the hand of their daughters in marriage. The fabrics are worn throughout the week and most, especially in Ghana, it’s worn on Fridays as a “Friday Ware”. On Saturdays and Sundays, African Prints are worn for Funerals and Church Services, respectively.
The popularity of the fabric in West Africa has led to its adoption as formal wear by leaders, diplomats and the wealthy in the society.
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Hi people, do you have a special name attached to the day you were born? Ever thought of the meaning behind that name? Well in West Africa, there is a unique tradition where people are given special names according to the days they were born. Bequeathed to the current generations by our forebears, this practice is carried out amongst some communities within La Cote d’ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin. Apparently, in the diaspora, most especially, Jamaica, amongst the Ndyuka community, parents do give variants of the Akan day names to their children.
In this article, we shall be taking a quick look at day names amongst the Akan community in West Africa.
Within the Akan tradition, it is believed that children are born with a name connected to his or her soul. Hence, the day a person is born is linked to his or her soul.
To be honest, Akan names are not just given for identity sake, but it is done systematically based on an ancient tradition.
In fact, for every name, there is a meaning as well as an associated appellation.
Let’s take a brief look at the Akan day names.
According to the Akan traditional calendar, there are seven days in a week, beginning from Sunday and Terminating on Saturday.
Akosua and Kwasi (Akwasi)
This is a name given to children born on a Sunday. A boy child is named Kwasi or Akwasi if he is born on this day or Akosua if the child is a girl. It is said that females born on a Sunday are fearless, outstanding and straight to the point. Males born on this particular day, on the other hand, are known to be vibrant, charismatic and carry a great personality. They are also sensitive and they are dreamers.
Adwoa and Kwadwo/Kojo
In the Akan traditional community, whereas a female born on a Monday is called Adwoa, a male child is called by the name Kwadwo/Kojo.
According to Akan literature, in terms of their character, Adwoa’s have a love for life. They are free-spirited and have a strong affinity toward originality. Adwoa’s are maternal and have a motherly disposition. On the other hand. It’s said that Adwoa’s can be a bit stubborn, dominant and jealous, Lol.
However, Kwadwo/Kojo’s have a disposition and they are resilient, open-minded and they have a lot of fun. They are very generous and enjoy the finer things in life. The finer things in life? Yeah.
Abena and Kwabena/Kobina
Abena’s are females born on a Tuesday within the Akan Traditional family. Conversely, a male born on a Tuesday is given the name Kwabena/Kobina.
Character-wise, Abena’s are very ambitious and confident. They are unable to sit still, simply because they are constantly looking for a better way to improve their lives or any situation. You could, therefore say that they are very active and dynamic which may lead to a messy mind. However, they love change, a trait which makes them quite inquisitive. Well, they want to know everything; which is very good. Finally, they love life and always desire freedom. And if you care to know, the literature says that they can be fiercely authoritarian.
Kwabena’s are said to be bold and very principled and according to the literature, they are very active dynamic, strong spirited and just super fun people. They appear to be fierce and fearless however underneath all that they harbor such a kind, pure and sensitive heart. They are impulsive which may lead to fiery reactions. Tuesday born males love people. They like bringing people together while at the same time being a strong believer of independence and freedom. Kwabena’s are also highly creative and intuitive. Finally, in the love department, Kwabena’s are most happy when they are in a stable family unit. His home is his castle.
Akua/Kukua and Kwaku/Kuuku
When an Akan girl is born on a Wednesday, she is named Akua/Kukua. In the same way, a boy child born on a Wednesday is given the name Kwaku/Kuuku.
Akua’s are cool and collected people. So much so that sometimes they may even appear to be emotionless. But behind that, this character is an emotional heart. They know what they want and what they need and hence do not waste their time on people that are simply not worthy of it. They have amazing self-control and do not show off their vulnerability easily. Akua’s are rational, logic, hardworking and perhaps even perfectionists at times.
Kwaku’s love simplicity, are quite romantic and traditional at the same time. They also tend to be very cautious and thin-skinned. Sometimes it may appear as though they may lack confidence which can easily translate into anxiety. Well, emotionally they mature a bit slower than the rest. However once they do get to that point, they can be quite the awesome fathers and husbands.
Yaa and Yaw/Ekow
Yaa’s are very pleasant to be around, quite charming and very attractive. Yaa is a name given to females born on Thursdays within the Akan community. According to literature, Yaa’s find it quite amusing to please and entertain others. They tend to love life. They are very good communicators and diplomatic at that too, with humor if it fits. Yaa’s tend to be thin-skinned as well but all in all, they are social beings. On top of that, they are filled with a tremendous dose of courage, they are fair and just people, they do not entertain nonsense and injustice and will always fight for what's right. A very good example of a heroine African who carries this name is Yaa Asantewaa, the warrior queen of the Ashanti.
Yaw/Ekow is the male version of an Akan boy born on a Thursday. Yaw’s are highly sociable, confident and easy-going people. They have a big heart and they are also blessed with a good dose of charisma. It also appears that these men are quite eloquent and gifted in the art of speech. Talent of persuasion is like second nature to them. They are bright and very good at blending in. Their flaw is that they may be easily distracted and hence not see things through till the very end. Sometimes lack of commitment may come across as overconfidence but all the same, Yaw’s are dreamers, enjoy the simple things in life and are super fun.
Afia/Efua and Kofi/Fiifi
Afia/Efua is the Akan name for a girl born on a Friday. According to the Akan traditional literature, Afua’s have a very vibrant character, they are hardworking, patient and have an enormous appetite for life. They are disciplined when they need to be and are also quite intelligent. Besides all that, they may also be hard-headed, single-minded and slightly stubborn. Furthermore, they are highly trustworthy, loyal and dependable.
Are you a Kofi? Then you are a man with great ideas and ambitions. Kofi’s have absolutely no limits when it comes to thinking big and having great ideas. On the other hand, they are also hard to follow and to figure out. Their interests are usually in the mysticism of things, strangeness, and weirdness of stuff and are therefore easily drawn to spirituality, psychology, politics, archeology, etc.
Kofi Annan, the late United Nations Secretary-General was an Akan born on a Friday.
Ama and Kwame
For those of you born on a Saturday, you are Ama if you are a female. Ama’s are very humane and super intuitive. They are all up for solidarity and are very drawn into helping others. With this, they strive to advocate for the less privileged in order to form a better world. They may be very selfless and they don’t mind building castles in the sky. With that being said, because of their high expectations and ideals, they may be poorly adapted to everyday reality. But other than that, they are adorable and very endearing.
Saturday born males are very direct and straightforward. At times they may even appear to be cocky and arrogant, but they really aren’t. They just happen to know what they want and don’t want to stand for. They take pride in a good appearance and often wear a smile to go with it. They are very hardworking and ambitious. However, when they are criticized they may appear ego-bruised and perhaps even wrathful. They are traditional, principled, disciplined and courageous.
Were you able to identify your day name? It has been exciting reaching out to you. Please, let us hear your thoughts.
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The fact clearly remains, that all existing and past global business giants and conglomerates have grown to be where they are because they chose to be efficient and profitable in their operations, thereby enhancing a rewarding return on the contributions of their shareholders and their employees.
It is also a fact that most of these businesses have always given back to society, either directly, through taxation or indirectly through the channel of Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy.
However, for the past few years, there has been a great number of emerging businesses who have proven through impact and social enterprise models that we can do business, make profits, be empathic, ethical and place people at the center of business operations and business sustainability. Indeed, adopting socially focused business approaches aimed at generating returns for shareholders whilst promoting the good of society, is the way to go and this is what sustainable enterprises do: Business beyond profit.
Awura's Wardrobe, the Lady’s Wardrobe, seeks to achieve this in a special way. This exquisite clothing company seeks to partner with its socially focused clients, who do not only seek to purchase its unique global afrocentric brand, but are also looking for an avenue to give back to the communities where the key raw material of the clothes they wear are made. It is worth noting that whenever clients make a purchase from Awura's Wardrobe, they can rest assured that a good portion of the profit generated by the business returns to the community where the textile was made. The whole idea is to support, most especially, the health care needs of the children within those communities in Africa.
As a modern global afrocentric clothing line which has a goal of promoting the growth of the textile industry in emerging markets across Africa and the Caribbean, the company believes that it is more rewarding and fulfilling to be a “Business for Good”.
A good business shouldn’t just be defined by the ability of its products or services to meet a need, but the ability of the business to provide a leadership role in the generation of welfare support for those who really need them.
Awura's exclusive products come with original bright, colorful and awesome designs associated with the unique African and global woman. It seeks to bolster the confidence of women of diverse backgrounds with an African and Caribbean touch.
Awura's clothing line is tailored towards the courageous, agile and beautiful global woman who is looking to impress and make a mark on every sphere of her life.
Thankfully, in Africa, these exotic fabrics are worn for weddings, naming ceremonies, church, the office, etc., amongst other things, making them very useful for all occasions.
At Awura's, you will not purchase a product for purchasing sake, but you will purchase it with all the pride you can garner, knowing that a part of the profit is going out to do Good to others.
Indeed, it is a clothing line beyond profits.
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