Lorelle Aboagye-Mubanga
Vice Chancellor’s Commendation (Research)
I am a recent graduate of MA Textile Design. I am interested in exploring the culturally significant objects of regalia belonging to the Ashanti people of Ghana. Traditionally objects like Golden Stool (can be likened to the English throne) serve both a cultural & spiritual purpose as the stools are said to house the souls of departed ancestors. My specific interest and research into the Stools of the Ashanti led me to explore the connection between these vessels of spirituality and the Kente-Nsaa cloth which acts as a physical and spiritual form of protection for the sacred stools. A woven fabric in its design, the Kente-Nsaa cloth is embedded with motifs the reflect the owner of the Stool. As a culmination of my research, I developed ‘The Weaver’s Stool’ that reflects my identity as a female Kente weaver, a craft traditionally reserved for men, and a Kente-Nsaa cloth that represents my dual identity as a Black British female belonging to the Ghanaian diaspora.
