AGBOZUME KENTE WEAVERS ASSOCIATION

QUESTIONNAIRE

*For our purpose, Agbozume area comprises Sόme, Klikor and neighbouring Anlo communities.

*The questionnaire relates to former kete weavers and weavers currently practicing the craft.

* The questionnaire was adopted in individual interviews without the presence of other respondents.

* Date of interview: 8 January 2022.

What is your name?

Amegayi Felix.

How old are you?

I am in late 40s.

Where do you live?

I live at Srohume, Agbozume.

What is your major occupation?

Weaving is my main occupation.

How long have you been weaving?

I have been weaving for over thirty (30) years now.

Why did you choose kete weaving as your major occupation?

It is a major occupation of our forebears, which was handed over to us.

How did you learn the craft?

I learnt it from my father who was also a weaver. Growing up, I used to spin for him as form of helping him in his business. Through that he taught me other features of weaving like warping, heddling, and picking of designs.

What type(s) of kete do you weave? Their photos

Aƒevⴢ, kpe-evee, tsapim, modern design type, writing, and Asante kente, occasionally.

Do you weave on order, or you sell the product at Agbozume market?

I weave an ordered cloth and the market cloth.

If you weave on order, describe the process.

An ordered cloth is a specially woven kete in terms of quality, so it is given special touch; the price is also different from the market price at Agbozume market. The customer and I usually bargain over the price and the customer pre-finances the work with more than half of the price to buy the raw materials. When work is completed and delivered to the customer, the remaining money is paid.

What raw materials do you use in weaving?

I use cotton, rayon, silk and shine.

How do you acquire the yarn for kete weaving?

I buy it from retail store at Agbozume.

Do you use the yarn kadada in weaving?

Yes. I use it usually when I am weaving aƒevɔ and now I use it in weaving kpe-evee.

What types of designs and patterns do you weave in kete?

Agama, koyuikoyui, amagba, koklo, hotsui, ɖⴢŋku, writing and other modern designs.

Writing

Modernized kotuekotue

No name

Why do you adopt those designs?

They are the ones on demand by customers.

How did you get to know the designs and patterns?

Apart from those that I was taught, I got to know modern designs through friends and WhatsApp.

How old are those designs and patterns that you weave in kete?

The new ones are over a year old, but others are over fifteen years.

How popular are they? Do people of Agbozume and neighbouring areas wear kete with those designs and patterns?

They are not popular. And they are occasionally used by our people.

Have you invented any design or pattern in kete?

Yes, it came as a result of a challenge posed by my master then, in Lagos, Nigeria to invent a design and I took up the challenged to invent one. When the challenge came, I formed a design in mind. I then set out to do it. Upon two days of unsuccessful attempts (trial and error) at creating the design I had in mind, I invented one the third day using basic principles of designing. Thus, after picking megbeyibⴢ I wove one strip and it was taken to a customer and the customer expressed satisfaction and ordered over 50 pieces of the cloth ‘asoke’ which the company supplied. Creating it, I was comparing it to the design I had in mind. I could not take the design away when I was coming to Ghana. But the sample could be obtained from Mr. Kojo Amegayi from Dornormadi who is based at Okorodu, Ketu, Lagos state, Nigeria. I invented about four different designs between 1998-1999.

Is kpe-evee vɔ woven today in Agbozume and neighbouring area? If so, where?

Yes, at areas like Akaglakope, Avata, Nyravase, Srohume.

What challenges do you face in practicing your craft? How do you deal with them?

Stealing of the reed/beater in the cloth when the cloth is left in the loom. I removed the cloth and placed it in my room.

Are there any obstacles discouraging the kete industry in Agbozume area?

Weavers who weave on contract (adzɔvⴢ) are often disloyal; they would weave and sell the cloth or sell the material given to them to work with and run away.

Also, the problem of brokers (bojaboja). They are middlemen who have been cheating weavers in selling the cloth at the market by underpricing the cloth. They normally quote a higher price for the customer, so if they are given the money to be given to the sellers, they pocket the difference. This thing happens at the blind side of the buyer. Because of our vulnerability and peculiar needs that we have at home, we have no option than to accept whatever price we are offered. The bojaboja have been taking advantage of this to further deepen our woes.

There is also frequent increase in the price of yarn without corresponding hike in the price of the cloth.

In your opinion, how should those problems be resolved?

Any contract weaver (adzⴢvⴢlɔla) should work at the workplace of the patron (adzⴢvⴢtɔ).

Also, the old system of displaying the cloth in the marketplace and the buyer comes around to negotiate with the weavers should be reinstituted.

There should be a wholesale yarn store at Agbozume where we can purchase the materials we need. If possible, there should be a one – stop kete and yarn store where weavers could sell and acquire yarn at any day and not the usual four-day market. If a weaver brings a cloth to the store, s/he should only be given the balance/change after buying the yarn.