Details

Object type

Kente dress; gown; robe

Title

Obaa Sima: Virtuous Woman

Artist/Maker

Naa Densua Tordzro designer

Culture/School

Ghanaian

Place Associated

Scotland, Glasgow (place of manufacture); West Africa, Ghana (place associated)

Date

2017

Materials

cotton, nylon

Description

Obaasima Timeless collections are creative designs by Naa Densua Tordzro. Her designs are a fusion of traditional Kente cloth and modern contemporary evening wear, depicting the beauty of a Ghanaian woman. The commission for Glasgow Museums is Obaa Sima, meaning Virtuous Woman. It is a sleeveless evening gown of Ghanaian Kente, of a formal design suitable for special occasions such as presidential dinners, wedding dinners, Award ceremonies and so on. The design is a fusion of contemporary design with an authentic Ashanti and Anlo Kente Cloth Tradition of Ghana. The Kente used in this collection is called Niata, denoting the double-edged sword. The symbolic meanings of kente designs are multi-layered. For instance, a double-edged sword can be good and bad depending on what side you are on. In this instance, it is used to depict the power of a woman in society. She can be kind, just and favourable but she can also be very tough, mean and uncompromising. The positive as well as the negative sides of her make her the virtuous woman that she is.

ID Number

E.2017.4

Location

Kelvingrove Cultural Connections