WRAPPED IN PRIDE Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity A Curriculum Resource Unit lin Avins and Betsy D.

WRAPPED IN PRIDE Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity A Curriculum Resource Unit lin Avins and Betsy D. Quick UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, looks Angeles, 1998. 162 pp., 20 color slides. $40 soft-cover

This curriculum resource unit for teachers was unfolded in conjunction with the traveling exhibition of the same name, organized according to the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History (catalogue reviewed upon p. 13). It is divided into four spiral-bound sections, which are followed on rich appendixes that include a metrical composition by W. E. B. Du Bois, a kente-weaving psalm a bibliography, glossaries, and extensive notes upon the beautiful slides that accompany the publication.

The introduction provides brief nevertheless comprehensive information on the Asante commonalty of Ghana and an overview of the exhibition, whose 700 things encompass individual works of art and many others "employ in recreated market environments as lay the foundation of in Ghana and the United States" (p 11) The exhibition comprises several sections: The Weaving of Kente The Market, The Wearing of Kente The Fine Art of Asante Kente The Fine Art of Ewe Kente The Colors of African Unity, From Kente to Quilts, A Calendar of ecclesiastics and Portraits of Kente, which present to view prominent African American leaders wearing the cloth

This resource unit is built around twenty colorful slides and a plethora of black-and white photographs scattered from top to toe the various sections. Unit 1 "The Leader, the family the Nation," provides an extensive general history of Ghana and the Asante kingdom and its leaders and leadership arts.

In unit 2 "The Making and Design of Kente Cloth" Avins and Quick chronicle the evolution of the Asante and Ewe weaving and describe the delicate and time-consuming processe of putting the ecclesiastics together. The four distinct tasks that accompany kente weaving are explained in detail: winding threads into skeins and laying them not at home in the desired color pattern; threading the loom with the prepared warp threads; weaving the woven fabric to the desired length; and, finally, sewing the narrow strips together. Thorough descriptions of various warp-stripe patterns and weft designs are enhanced on images depicting the weaving proces which facilitate one's understanding and appreciation.

Unit 3 "The words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] followings of Kente Use in Ghana," is full with examples: the Adae Kesee or the procession of the Asantehene and other paramount or divisional chiefs; durbars, or public audiences at the courts of local or paramount directors where the most important chiefs are carried around in palanquins; installations and funerals of chiefs; palanquin linings; gift giving from historical times to the at hand as witnessed by the presentation of kente to England's Princess Mary onward the occasion of her wedding and more lately to the Clintons on their visit to Ghana. The continuing commercialization of the ecclesiastics has led to its use in baseball caps, backpacks, ties, shoe bags, purse and other accessories.

Unit 4 "The Pan-African emotion and Kente in the United States," lengthen outs its view beyond Ghana. Clad in kente Kwame Nkmmah and his entourage visited Washington in 1958 and 1960 when Eisenhower was president. When W E B Du Bois received his honorary measure at the University of Ghana, Legon in 1963 he donned an exquisite kente-based academic gown In the United States, the woven fabric has become an integral part of the lives of African Americans, woven into circumstances like Kwanzaa celebrations, Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month and graduation at all of the same heights The conspicuous display of kente testifies to the widespread use and symbolism of this textile, one time the "exclusive prerogative of Asante or other Akan chiefs" (p 20)

This volume is truly a rich resource that goe beyond kente; it is also a useful tool for teaching history and comparative refinements The thought-provoking questions that begin each unit, the outlined activities, and the discussion in each lecture within the units will challenge and stimulate pupils At the same time, as it is additions as proverbs, folktales, and descriptions of cultural activities like naming ceremonies make this a sincerely enjoyable publication. The names and the messages of the ten different kente patterns upon the accompanying poster itself are a mine of lifelong learning. The Wrapped in Pride curriculum resource unit and its activities should be a mandatory addition to all censures on African studies, especially since kente continues to be an integral part of the lives of African Americans. powerfully recommend this book for libraries of all kinds.

KWASI SARKODIE-MENSAH is manager of instructional services at the O'Neill Library at Boston literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning where he is also an Adjunct Professor in the society of Advancing Studies.

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