Master Weaver from Ghana

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-A first-rate look at an art form that has been a livelihood in this African nation for hundreds of years. Information on Ahiagble and his family, featured in the book, with details about their lifestyle and the history and technique of strip weaving by the Ewe people, are clearly presented through text and full-color photographs. The authors convey a marvelous feeling for the life and culture of these Ghanaians. Useful suggestions for further reading and a glossary conclude the volume.Alice DiNizo, Plainfield Public Schools, NJCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


African Studies Association, 1999
Best Book for Young Children


Smithsonian Institution, 1998
Notable Book for Children


Children's Book Council, 1999
Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People


Warren Robbins, Educator; Founder of the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
"...a fine introduction for children to the remarkable craft of weaving in West Africa..."


Toni Conklin, Teacher; Washington, DC
"Africa comes alive every time the students turn the page."


Book Description
Bobbo is a traditional weaver from Ghana, where his ancestors have been weavers for generations. His young son, Kweku, learns from him, just as Bobbo learned from his father. Through Kweku's eyes, we see family and community life in the small fishing village of Denu. Kweku learns that in life, just as in weaving, "one thread is weak, while threads woven together are strong." Magnificent full color photographs.


Card catalog description
A contemporary male weaver from Ghana explains how his people maintain the tradition of weaving, including an explanation of the strip weaving of Kente cloth and its importance in their Ewe culture.


About the Author
Louise Meyer is an educator who seeks to awaken interest in the social and economic value of native handicraft. She was working at the Museum of African Art during Gilbert Bobbo Ahiagble's first U.S. visit in 1975. Later, while working on the Ivory Coast, she arranged an exhibition and workshop for Mr. Ahiagble that stimulated local weavers to further develop international and domestic markets. Ms. Meyer holds a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Maryland, and a diploma in African Studies from the Development Institute, Geneva, Switzerland. She resides in the native city, Washington, D.C. Nestor Hernandez was introduced to photography in high school through the Urban Journalism Workshop of the Washington, D.C. Public Schools. For fifteen years he was photographer-in-residence- at the Capitol Children's Museum. As chief photographer for the Washington D.C. Public Schools, he photographed Bobbo demonstrating weaving at school children. While visiting Bobbo in Denu, he first learned to weave, and then took these photos. Nestor is of Afro-Cuban descent. His work is exhibited in Cuba and the United States.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

Overall, this thought-provoking book serves to introduce the pleasures and economics of weaving, Ewe culture, and ideas about family in ways that are appropriate to children.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices