The 2025 edition of the Agotime Kente Festival has been officially launched in Aflao with a renewed call to protect, promote, and globally showcase the community’s rich weaving heritage. This year’s festival is themed “Woven Together: Kente, Agotime’s Creative Gift to the World.”
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Della Mawotor, a member of the Kente Festival Central Planning Committee, emphasized the urgent need to patent and copyright all traditional and contemporary Kente designs originating from Agotime.
She noted that such measures would preserve the cultural integrity of the fabric and prevent unauthorized imitation.
“We want to patent every cloth we have woven for years. There is currently no folk copyright system, so it is important that we put protection on our creative work,” Dr. Mawotor stated.
She described the Kente weaving tradition as a vital source of employment for the youth and artisans in the community. However, she lamented that many weavers have been forced to leave the area due to lack of patronage and financial support.
“It is disheartening that people weave Kente and nobody wants to buy it. Some of them have been trafficked—‘in quotes’—to other regions. We need to support them, fund their work, and preserve both the old and new designs,” she added.
The Volta Regional Minister proposed the institutionalization of a “Regional Kente Friday” initiative. The proposed policy seeks to encourage residents and public servants across the Volta Region to wear Kente every Friday as a means of boosting local demand and showcasing cultural pride.
Dr. Mawotor backed the proposal and called for national support in making it a deliberate, consistent policy across the region. “We need to be intentional about wearing Kente on Fridays. Even if it’s just on sleeves, a sash, or as part of a combination outfit, the key thing is visibility,” she urged.
A vibrant new Kente design was unveiled at the event in honour of Togbi Adzongaga Amenya Fiti V, Paramount Chief of Aflao Traditional Area who chaired the launch.
The launch sets the stage for a vibrant calendar of activities leading up to the main festival, which will take place in Agotime Kpetoe later in August this year.
Thousands are expected to attend, with exhibitions, traditional performances, and cultural displays aimed at honoring Kente as a symbol of Ghanaian identity and craftsmanship.