Minneapolis Institute of Art

Flag

Fante artist

Date

1920s–30s

Medium

Cotton

Culture

Fante

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

To honor your own company and ridicule the rival ones, that is what the embroidered and appliquéd flags of Asafo companies are all about. This tradition of the Fante peoples in southern Ghana has existed for several centuries, though the companies themselves changed from being militias to neighborhood associations. Fante culture has always incorporated innovations introduced by Europeans in their art. Here, telegraphy acts as a symbol of communication across great distance. The flag conveys mastery over knowledge and technology, asserting to competing companies that “We can talk to everybody.” Africa

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