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The colors of kente cloth are not there just for people to take delight in their visual presentation. There are many complex names and meanings to the patterns. In this article I will elaborate on what some of these colors mean and in what circumstance a person may wear a kente cloth with that particular color.
Black on kente cloth often symbolizes maturity. A child may be given a kente cloth on their 18th birthday with the majority of the cloth mostly black or having many patterns with black as the boldest color. This is to make known how much they have matured in life and is an indication of them entering into a new phase. Black is also linked with intense spiritual energy.
Green is associated with vegetation, harvesting, spiritual renewal and development. A kente cloth is worn with this color included in its design to show an appreciation to nature and all that it brings to us as people. Traditionally it was worn to keep peace with the spirits of the rainforest.
A kente which has mostly patterns of the color blue represents peacefulness, harmony and love. It is often connected with the blue sky and the calmness one feels when looking up at the clear sky or even at the blue tides of the ocean. The time in which a married couple become so comfortable with each other that they no longer look at each others faults and are in tune with themselves is also potrayed by the color blue, it symbolizes that calming feeling one has when they are around an old friend and lover.
Gold represnts royalty, wealth and high status in society. In the past gold was a color that was worn only by kings and chiefs of villages in Ghana. Kings would have whole kente cloth robes made, with most of patterns being made from gold colored silk weaving which would take almost a month for a weaver to complete.
Pink is associated with the feminine parts of life, it represents the soft touch of a female and the maternal love of a woman for a child. It symbolizes the care and love that only a woman can give to a male to make him improve in every way. It is mostly worn by women and is commonly worn during weddings.
There are still a few more colors that are used on Kente cloth patterns that I have not covered but these are the most common. The best way to describe Kente is to say that it is effectively talking through color and this in itself is a great African invention. One that has been passed down from generation to generation.
