AFRICA, GHANA, AND THE BEAD: A LOVE STORY

I was a little girl in Ghana when I first became fascinated with the art and artistry of beadmaking. I saw the men and women who created these timeless works of art, with their myriad colors and styles, as heroes, bringing something beautiful to life to accentuate our already-beautiful homeland. I began as a little girl making little trinkets, and as I grew older, I became more engrossed in the craft, fascinated as I was not only by the experience of African bead-making, but also by the history of it, particularly in my home country of Ghana.

In Ghana, people have crafted beads and bead jewelry for millennia. They have been used as everything from currency and religious ritualistic accessories in bygone centuries to tourist attractions and fashion statements in more modern times. Ghanaian beads have been used as ballast on slave ships, then offered in exchange for expensive, exotic foreign goods once ships made port, states Garbe Mohammad, a fourth-generation bead merchant whose entire livelihood has depended upon the bead trade. Garbe, who makes and sells Ghanaian beads all over west Africa, tells us that the African bead is making a huge comeback, and that they are more popular now than ever before, and in incredibly high demand.

Travel writers Fiona Graham and Iva Kubickova tell us that “Luckily, [Ghanaian beads’] popularity is growing again. They are getting more and more attention among collectors, jewelry makers, and everyone who loves and appreciates their captivating beauty – in and outside of Africa.” They have grown so popular, in fact, that a society of preservationists has sprung up in recent years to ensure that the tradition of the Ghanaian bead culture becomes immortalized for future generations. Graham states in an interview that “The history and heritage of Ghanaian beads are also protected by the Ghana Beads Society. The first of its kind in Africa, the society is dedicated to recording, preserving and promoting the culture of Ghanaian beads.”