Working Children in the Kente Economy of Bonwire, Asante: The Context of the SDGs

Abstract

For generations, the exquisite skills of Ghana’s kente weavers have been passed on through a system of apprenticeships that typically begin in childhood. Traditionally children are given toy looms from an early age. Yet this source of indigenous knowledge, which for centuries has equipped the economy with a form of proto-industrialisation, must now adapt to government policies on education and new human rights concerns about the exploitation of child labour. To what extent do these institutions of indigenous knowledge undermine or complement the system of Western education adopted in Ghana? Based on a household survey of Bonwire in Ghana’s Ashanti Region, the paper provides quantitative data on the extent of children’s participation in the kente economy, as well as qualitative evidence on the nature of children’s work. The paper finds that while there are significant numbers of working children in Bonwire’s kente economy, including girl children, child labour is rarely found. It finds that back strain is an occupational hazard affecting all weavers, including children; nevertheless, most children work for relatively short hours. Further findings suggest that while both parents and children in Bonwire value formal education, the integration of informal kente apprenticeships into the formal school curriculum could improve the quality and relevance of education