Join in a lively festival at one of ten remaining Asante traditional buildings in Ghana. Music and dance are vital to the communities whose ancestors built these structures in the 18th century. Walking into an Asante traditional building, you first enter the central courtyard, with four adjoining sections that are adorned with symbols, each with its own name and meaning. Inside, each building houses a shrine where deities may be consulted. Originally constructed from mud, the walls are vulnerable to rain and heat, leading to preservation challenges. Over time, modern, cost-effective materials replaced traditional methods for rebuilding these mud walls.
This film, part of Africa’s Cultural Landmarks, a series produced by The Met in collaboration with World Monuments Fund and directed by Sosena Solomon, focuses on the traditional building complexes from the Asante Kingdom of the eighteenth century—powerful landmarks that continue to express the spiritual life of their Akan citizenry. Situated north and northeast of Kumasi, the capital of the Asante Empire in central Ghana, these earthen buildings demonstrate the range of artistic achievements of the Asante culture with their distinctive architectural style and walls adorned with symbolic bas-relief imagery.
Reflecting the series' focus on community stewardship, this documentary spotlights caretakers who are reviving historical craftsmanship techniques in an effort to rebuild and preserve these “homes of men and gods.”
About the Asante Traditional Buildings
At its zenith in the 18th century, the Asante Kingdom was one of the richest and most powerful states on the African continent. Today, architectural traces of historic structures are evident in ten traditional shrines likely dating from that powerful eighteenth century moment. Scattered in villages to the north and northeast of Kumasi in central Ghana, these earthen buildings demonstrate the range of artistic achievements of the Asante culture. Decorative reliefs cover the dwellings with intricate, interlacing geometric designs, animals motifs, and Adinkra symbols. Shrines were historically maintained by village-based master craftsmen. As government oversight of heritage eclipsed local stewardship in the mid-twentieth century, traditional materials and techniques were replaced with more cost-effective materials like corrugated metal roofing and cement plaster. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, currently only one of the ten shrines, Besease, has been restored. While the remaining nine are in advanced stages of decay, compounded by a loss of traditional preservation knowledge, they remain powerful landmarks that express the spiritual life of their Akan citizenry.
Africa’s Cultural Landmarks is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with World Monuments Fund.
