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I m P ortland O bserver • F ebruary 19, 1997
BLACK HISTORY
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The Asantehene and the Cloth That Speaks
in A vonie B rown , A n NNPA
C orrespondent _______ ______
Two magnificent images domi
nate the Point of View Gallery in the
Smithsonian’s National Museum of
African Art in Washington, D.C.
The first is a majestic photograph,
circa 1926, of Asantehene Agyeman
Prempeh I, King of the Asante na
tion in Ghana (1888-1896). The
other is a foundation for the story
that unfolds in the exhibit, “ King
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asantehene. The enstooling of the
new King is on of the Asante's most
important ceremonies. It takes place
before the Golden Stool, the state
most revered symbol, believed to
possess the soul, power and strength
of the Asante nation.
Prempeh inherited a nation
riddled with internal unrest as well
as external pressures from Britain,
who was keen on controlling the
wealth of the region. II is response to
“We initiated the Point of View
Gallery for just such exhibitions, so
that we can focus on one compelling
work of art or several compelling
works of art that addressed a certain
theme. In this instance it turns out
to be one work of art which in and of
itself is so rich that I decided to tell
the whole story that has to do with
the cloth,” said Fortune.
At the age o f 16 Agyeman
Prempeh I was "enstooled" as the
Prempeh’s Royal Cloth.”
Education specialist Leasa I'arra
Fortune, curator of the exhibit, said
choosing to focus the exhibit on
King Prempeh I was based on the
fundamental recognition that a work
of art is a very special historic docu
ment. she explained that the work,
some of which is over 100 years ago,
was chosen because much is known
about the cloth and its owner’s criti
cal role in the history of Ghana.
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this political turmoil was profoundly
simple In addressing internal rifts
Prempeh believed that the good ot
the nation took precedence over the
needs of the individual Similarly
he was committed to resisting Brit
ish control and maintaining the
Asante n a tio n 's sovereignty
Prempeh's insistence on the au
tonomy of the Asante is indicated in
his May 7, 1871 refusal to Britain's
offer of a treaty of protection
W h e re T e m p o ra ry
E m p lo y e e s a re
P e rm a n e n t
S a tis fa c tio n
MULTNOMAH COUNTY
Proudly Salutes
Black History Month
1997
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S WORKING TOGETHER----
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Multnomah County is actively working with minority owned businesses to enhance
participation by M/W/ESB Finns on county contracts. We are collaborating with
other jurisdictions in an attempt to bring consistency to governmental procurement
and contracting processes.
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> For recorded information on contracting opportunities with Multnomah
County and Metro call the Hotline (503)797-1933.
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> To contact our M/W/ESB Program Office c^ll (503) 284-5429.
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> Or visit Multnomah County’s web site:
http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/purch
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