LARRY LOMOTEY TALKS TO ABENAA POKUAA

Interview with Afro buzz, the team from Vox Africa came down to check out the hype!

 

http://www.voxafrica.com/en/afrobuzz/ohena-ohene-fashion

Ohema Ohene Menswear debut

Check out Mohombi in his hot new video Ft Nelly. Mohombi is a big fan of Ohema Ohene and wears our Mens hooded jumper throughout the video. Available exclusively at Ohema Ohene store Brixton-London SW9 8PU www.ohemaohene.com

OHEMA OHENE STORE LAUNCH!

Hey folks, its been a while and there’s been so much happening! Ohema Ohene will now open its very first every store in South London Brixton! Please do keep your eye’s peeled for further info!

WAKE UP STORE OPENING

Last Friday 5th March saw the opening of a new Boutique store in Brussels  Belgium by entrepreneur Noémie Nuo. ‘Wake Up‘ concept store is the sole retailer in Belgium of OH! By Ohema Ohene Kicks. The store stocks other retro brands which are both Afrocentric or with an underground twist. Selling a range of products from clothing, jewelry, art, accessories and music!

WAKE UP STORE

OH! AFRICAN PRINT KICKS

Finally the moment you have all been waiting for is almost here! OH! African print plimsolls and now High tops are now available! Pre-order your pair now limted edition OH! BY OHEMA OHENE.

Nana Kente print high top

NEW COLLECTION AVAILABLE NOW!

Hey my Afronistas! Tired of the high street wana be copies? Bored of your average daily fashion essentials…fear not! After many a months of blood sweat and tears it’s finally here! Brand new mainline Limited edition collection is available NOW! My favourite item is the Gigi mac with graduated hem, the print is to dye for and so fitting to the brand…covered in Crowns! Also available in a traditional Ghanaian print ‘Gyname’ meaning ‘Only God’.

 You can buy directly from Ohema Ohene boutique

Gigi

OH!

Okay so I’ve been teasing you all for quite some time…so here you go a sneaky peak at the brand new funky fresh, killer kicks. The top is reversible and detachable giving you two shoes in one!  I’m so in-love with this range and really happy with the outcome and hope you all are also! Available in four limited prints out March 2010…in the meantime check out the current available line of Fabulous Batik Pumps via the online boutique  

OH! SS10 BATIK PUMP 'NANA'

OH! NANA

African fundraiser

OH! SO here I am at the Friends of Croydon Charity fund-rasier. An event to raise funds for an orphange in Ghana, west Africa.  Fantasic night with loads of money raised for the orphanage!  Ohema Ohene was there on the night to show their love and support buy donating to the course. Of course I had to show up in style in OHEMA OHENE! Also helping to support the course and give back to Ghana were Kayobi Clothing.

FRIENDS OF CROYDON

Dakon History-Queen Nana Abena Pokua

ASHANTI QUEEN

The Anyi people migrated to the Cote d’Ivoire from Ghana between the 16th and 18th centuries. They were never quite as powerful as the Asante and Baule. The Baule Empire that rosed up from 1720 between the Bandama river and the Comoe was the result of Family feud between Queen Mother of Asante Nana Abenaa Pokua during the death of Nana Osei Tutu I and Her GrandNephew Nana Opoku Ware I who assassinated his Grand Uncle Nana Darko , the brother of Nana Abena Pokua.

This incident brought about the civil war that engulfed the Asante Kingdom between 1717 to 1720. The incident split the Kingdom into two and the then united Oyoko-Dako Clan were also divided. The Oyokos who were the nephews of the Adakos, headed by Opoku Ware, kept control of Oyoko clan and the Golden Stool, whereas Nana Abena Pokua moved to Kaase with 3.5 million partisans. Half the population of Asante moved and settled with the Anyi, Nzema and the Sanhwi to the west of Asante.

Between 1720 and 1730 Nana Abena Pokua, faced with many obstacles, confronted life with determination, living among the Nzima/Anyi and Safwi, She adopted their language and even cange her name from Abena Pokuaa to Abla Poku thus delinking any ties with Asante. Nana Abla Pokou in order to cross the River Comoe to escape the partisans of Opoku Ware who were sent to return the partisans of Nana Pokou back into the Asante Kingdom, had to sacrifice her son to the River Comoe before they were able to cross the river with her partisans.

After crossing the River Comoe Nana Abla Pokou and her various warrior Groups started to settle each to ts location. The Kyidom warriors (Akye) settled immediately after the river Comoe to guide the route to Asante. They kept the Golden UMBRELLA and the sword of Nana Osei Tutu. The Abbe (Torchbearers) also settled after the Akye and the Mbatto, Ebrie and all the other foot Soldiers settled in the regions that is today Akan land in Cote d’Ivoire.By 1730 Nana Abla Poukou was entooled as the First Reigning Queen of the New Akan Kingdom of Baule after the death of Nana Osei Tutu I

Fabric of a nation- The story behind African Batik Wax prints

 

Happy new year! New year, new starts, new ideas and new adventures! 

Today we visited an exhibition at the Horniman Museum in South East London. Great inspiring exhibition  called ‘FABRIC OF A NATION’ celebrating the works and history of printed Batik cloths and their designs as an expression of cultural, social and political identity in modern Ghana. 

It was very refreshing to see Ghanaian culture and the story behind our most favourite fabric textile celebrated. On display were various batik prints, many dating back to 1937.  The designs on wax printed textiles are very diverse touching on various subjects, many focused on modern day Africa, politics and technology. Ghanaian designs often have Proverbial meanings or popular wisdom associations, others relate to social relationships, ethical standards and traditional sources of power. Some of the oldest and most popular wax designs were made to promote literacy the ‘Alphabet‘ cloth is still very popular today. Our favourite design on display at the exhibition was a print named ‘Sika wo antaban‘ meaning ‘money has wings’. Warning people against lavish spending and also suggests that careful use of money can bring success.

HORNIMAN MUSEUM EXHIBITHORNIMAN MUSEUM 'FABRIC OF A NATION' EXHIBIT