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Description

Rectangular piece of light olive green paper with black printing on one side. Print has both graphics and text. At the top of the page in the middle, the title reads: "ADINKRA SYMBOLISM" and is followed by paragraphs of small printed text. There are 60 different Adinkra symbols drawn on the page, in four vertical rows of rectangular boxes that have both a symbol on the left side and a paragraph of small printed text on the right side. In the centre, there is a larger rectangular graphic entitled: "ADINKRA CLOTH" that shows a drawing of an example of an Adinkra textile, with geometric rectangular bands on the perimeter and triangular and circular forms in the centre.

History Of Use

In the small text at the top it says the document was "Prepared by H. Ablade Glover...University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana." In the text at the bottom it says the sheet was first pulished in Feb. 1969 by the Glo Art Gallery in Accra, Ghana.

Cultural Context

textiles

Narrative

This iconic poster, one of a set of three, was created by Dr. Ablade Glover as a resource for the Adinkra language. At the time he created it Dr. Glover was one of the most knowledgeable experts of Adinkra. Realizing that few resources were available, he created his own. An artist and a scholar, Dr. Glover lives in Accra, Ghana. This poster is widely available in African-American and West African communities. Adinkra is an Akan visual language consisting of symbols whose meanings are based on a shared culture and set of references. Each symbol represents a host of interconnected ideas, many of which refer to a phrase or proverb. In Akan culture, the ability to speak in proverbs and illusions is a sign of prestige and refinement. There are more than one hundred Adinkra signs in common use.