Rebekka Seigel
Afircan Flags of the Fante

This workshop for children involves studying the flag making traditions practiced by the men of Ghana. Students will choose proverbs to illustrate and execute them in either paper collage of fabric applique.

Flags have always been important in military affairs, and this is certainly true in Ghana where brightly colored and patterned cloth flags carry messages of pride and defiance. The Fante people of the south-central portion of what is now Ghana were among the first West Africans to be exposed to European military forces and merchant traders. In 1471 Portuguese explorers arrived on the Gold Coast, and they were soon followed by a host of traders, including the Dutch, the English and the French. For a time, the Fante formed alliances with these Europeans to combat their traditional enemy, the Ashanti.

The mixture of these cultures brought forth an unlikely result in the form of the flags created by the Fante after experiencing the pomp and circumstance of the European naval banners and regimental colors. The Fante craftsmen took to the format of the European flags and created an exuberant art form that marries the ancient West African tradition of communication by proverb with a powerful military display of ceremony and provocation. These flags are carried by and have special significance for the warrior companies of the culture called Asafo.

The Fante region is fraught with political complexities. There are 24 traditional states along an 80 mile stretch of the Atlantic Coast. In any one state there may be from 2 to 14 Asafo companies. These companies are not only the democratic armies of the Fante states, they also act as philanthropic, social and cultural groups. They are responsible for sanitation projects, road works, state Gods and funeral rites, local policing and community entertainment.

Flags represent the historical temperament of the Asafo. Some flags are designed as challenges or insults to rival companies. Today a new flag must be approved by the head chief and the Asafo elders, then paraded before all the other companies in the area to make sure no one is offended by it.

Each Asafo company uses certain identifying colors and illustrations on its flags. Imagery may include historical themes, such as a past conflict with a rival company, or an emblem that identifies the company with a symbol of power, like a leopard or an airplane. The cultures of coastal Ghana boast a repertoire of more than 3,000 proverbs, but only 200 of these are depicted on the flags. A few of the more popular are:

"A dead lion is greater than a living leopard."
"Although the elephant is stronger, it is the antelope that receives the stool."
"It is a foolish mouse that steals from the bag of the cat."
"The monkey leaps only as far as it can reach."
"Without the head, the snake is nothing but a rope."

The textiles usually measure 3 feet by 5 feet and are made from European trade cloth, usually cotton, though some silks, satins and felts are used. Solid blocks of appliquéd color predominate with up to 15 different colors on a single flag. Details are accomplished with embroidery, using the chain stitch, or with patterned fabric. Each side shows a mirror image so numbers are confusing on the reverse side.

Three sides are usually decorated with a repeating triangular or rectangular border in alternating colors. White cotton fringe is added to 3 sides to complete the flag.

No matter how childlike, decorative or abstract the images seem to Western eyes, the Asafo flags are expressively instructive to the Fante. Combining a proverb with a visual image is central to all Akan art because this society had no written word and so all religious, ethical and social codes were handed down and maintained by this rich and complex oral history. In spite of the militant nature of much Asafo imagery, many educational and social values are expressed as well in the use of the proverbs. Today these distinctive banners are an integral part of civil ceremonies and celebrations.

CHINESE PROVERBS

"An ant may well destroy a whole dam."
"A book holds a house of gold."
"A fall into a ditch makes you wiser."
"Flies never visit an egg that has no crack."
"Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger but a heart as soft as tofu."
"How can you expect to find ivory in a dog’s mouth?"
"Bitten by a snake this year, he’ll be scared of ropes for the next ten."
"Once on a tiger’s back, it is hard to alight."
"Shed no tears until seeing the coffin."
"A smile will gain you ten more years of life."
"Waiting for a rabbit to hit upon a tree and be killed in order to catch it."

ENGLISH PROVERBS

"Caught between a rock and a hard place."
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire."
"Don’t count your chickens before they hatch."
"Don’t cross your bridges before you come to them."
"A stitch in time saves nine."
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
"Birds of a feather flock together."
"Good things come in small packages."
"The pen is mightier than the sword."
"Look before you leap."
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease."
"You can’t teach an old dog new tricks."
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"There’s a light at the end of the tunnel."


AFRICAN PROVERBS

"By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed."
"Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together."
hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king."
"If you are in hiding, don’t light a fire."
"It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man."
"It is the fool’s sheep that break lose twice."
"No one tests the depth of the river with both feet."
"One cannot both feast and become rich."
"Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout."
"Rain beats a leopard’s skin, but it does not wash out the spots."
"The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the town."
"There is no medicine to cure hatred."
"When the cock is drunk, he forgets about the hawk."
"When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him."