Melville gets some Kente flare

Beauty comes in all forms, it’s daring, captivating but most of all it’s a one-of-a-kind thing to admire.

In our diverse nation, we should willingly accept the beauty of each culture that finds its way into our country.

Born in Ghana, Stephen Appiah is a man so proud of his Ashanti roots, that he saw no better to way to celebrate it other than to teach the thing he loves most. He teaches people how to weave their own garments using a handmade loom.

Appiah came to South Africa about 12 years ago, not in hopes of greener pastures but rather for social cohesion. “I also wanted to leave a small legacy here, I am an African, I could not just leave what I have learned to my community alone, I had to teach others too.”

A teacher by profession, Appiah’s aim is to empower minds as he knows that not everything can be taught from behind a desk. He currently teaches at Out of the Box Skills Development centre where he not only teaches young children but also unemployed individuals on how to enrich themselves.

The Melville resident has been weaving Kente cloth since he was 13-years-old as he was taught by his father. Appiah said that this beautiful form of handmade garments was created by the Ashanti people.

He recalled a folk story that was told to him of how Ashanti hunters had made their way through the bush when they spotted a spider spinning its web.”They kept studying it for a period of time and started to gather rope.” He said that from that encounter, the Kente cloth creation developed with time.

Appiah said that in Ghana, Kente weaving is done by a particular group of people. In South Africa, many have taken to making a profit out of this beautiful, meticulous way to make cloth. “Kente weaving brings people together, it makes them know their culture and who they are.”

He concluded that to weave, you must be passionate about as it is a calculated process that needs your utmost concentration.

WATCH: Stephen Appiah shows the process of weaving Kente cloth