African Fabric Project - Call for Help - African-Wikimedians

17 Mar 2023

Dear Wikimedians,

The Wikimedians of Twi Language is a community of Ghanaian editors. The
team seeks  to increase and improve content in the Twi language about Akan
and Ghanaian culture on English Wikipedia, WikiCommons and Wikidata. The
community is currently running a project dubbed the African Fabric Project.

The aim is to create individual articles for each design on English
Wikipedia, Wikidata items on WikiData also for each design, WikiCommons
entries of images of the designs as well as the pronunciation of the
Ghanaian given name and a translation for each article on Twi Wikipedia. We
realized there was a rich heritage behind the naming of the fabrics most of
which portrayed Akan proverbs metaphorically. As the research developed, we
observed that these designs held multiple names notable across other
African countries.

Examples of such designs are Leaf Trail - known in Ghana as Ahwenepa Nkasa
and the Ivory Coast as Feuile-Feuile; and Fish Scales - known in Ghana as
Abɛ, in Nigeria as Akpirikpa azu and in South Africa as Bijenkorfje.

Thus, I write on behalf of the Wikimedians of Twi Language to call for your
help to make this project a success. We would appreciate it if you can help
with credible references you have on the individual fabric designs and
uploads of the pictures of the designs unto WikiCommons or uploads of usage
of the designs by notable personalities or in notable scenarios either in
Africa or anywhere else in the world. These would help give weight to these
articles and credence to their notability in our African Heritage.

We look forward to your support and assistance.

Regards,

Naa2Darkoa

(Wikimedia username)

PS: Did you know the Fabric design known by name as Akyikyidie akyi in
Ghana translates into Tortoise back - metaphorically saying one is
resilient and tough as the shell of a tortoise. It is known in other
African countries as Masque and Grand Bassam. Did you know this fabric was
used as the exercise wear of Semmi in the movie *Coming to America, 1988*.
It was used in the scene where Semmi was training with Eddie Murphy, the
Prince Akeem.