A wonderful old Kente cloth. It was very probably woven in Bonwire, a village in the Ejisu-Juaben municipal district, a district of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is recognised as the home of Ashanti Kente cloth. Kente cloth consists of 16 to 24 strips that are sewn together along the edges. The weaving, as well the sewing, is carried out by men. Women's cloths are much smaller and worn in pairs that are tightly wrapped around the body. Men's cloths are much larger and are worn in a similar way to a toga.
Source: Afrika - Stoffe und Farben eines Kontinents - John Gillow - page 35. Lit.: page 37
Jochen Schneider (1939 – 1997) first went to Ghana in 1959 where he worked for German and Swiss companies. In 1970 he went to Uganda where he took a particular interest in contemporary art and began to collect intensively. He supported Jak Katarikawe as well as other students on the Makere University. A large part of his collection is now in the "Museum der Weltkulturen" in Frankfurt, Germany.
