Browsing by Author "Fening, Peggy Ama"

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    Post-independence developmental trends of the gold jewellery industry in Ghana: a case study of Asantes
    (May, 2015) Fening, Peggy Ama
    This thesis studied the developmental trend of gold the jewellery industry in Ghana since independence with particular reference to the Asantes. As at the year 2011 Ghana was rated the world’s 9th largest producer of gold and the 2nd in Africa. However, its gold jewellery industry accounts for very little percentage of the world production total. This discrepancy is an issue of concern since currently Ghana derives the bulk of its revenue from gold. Value addition to the nation’s gold jewellery industry will improve the nation’s fortunes significantly. The qualitative method of research was employed to gather and synthesize the data. Results obtained indicated that all the craftsmen involved in the jewellery industry were Ghanaians who were full time practioners, with a sizeable number (28%) of them being females, majority of whom are graduates from tertiary institutions. The issue of raw gold acquisition and absence of a refinery were observed to be major problems facing the industry. It was also observed during the field visit that much of the machinery being used by the craftsmen were outmoded. The use of the adinkra symbols was found to be the most popular or new trend of all the designs being used by the jewellers as the majority (75%) of the jeweller admitted using them. The apprenticeship system of training continues to provide the skill in the industry. It was evident from the interaction with traditional rulers that the socio-political and cultural roles of jewellery in Asante still survive despite the influence of education, religion and globalization. The study concluded that for Ghana to ensure a sustainable gold jewellery industry growth a concerted effort will be required by all the stakeholders (including, government, non -governmental agencies, jewellery industry and private sector players) to take full advantage of the country’s significant endowment in gold and urgently take steps to revamp the industry.
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    The role of jewellery in Asante culture
    (2001) Fening, Peggy Ama
    Jewellery as an art form is never static but ever changing, which change may be influenced by several factors including; Education, Christianity, Urbanization and Foreign culture. The extent of this influence in Asante is not easily measured. This thesis reports on the role of jewellery and the extent to which jewellery has been influenced by these factors from the foundation of the Asante Empire to the present. The study focused on the birth of the Asante Empire and the culture of the Asante as a people. It also examined the jewellery profession, production techniques, material for production and production designs. The study also examined the economic, political, religious and social roles of jewellery. It further evaluated the current status of jewellery in Asante culture. This was done through personal interviews using standard questionnaires and field visits to the Center for National Culture in Kumasi, some communities and chiefs’ palaces. It was observed that jewellery has and continues to play a significant role in the maintenance and promotion of Asante culture This role is economically significant in nation building There are however, some obstacles such as the state of the profession, capital, education and so on that needed to be dealt with. Suggestions to solving these problems were enumerated and it was realized in particular that a push by the jewelers themselves was inevitable and that could go a long way to not only help improve the living standards of the craftsmen but also make the profession attractive while lifting high the Asante culture.