Beads from Ghana
Ghana has unique beads - hand made out of recycled materials.
Beads and their messages are a vital part of many cultures in Ghana - and their are as many "cultures" as there are languages.
Beads have a role to play at birth, marriage and death. Beads are symbols of authority, wisdom, wealth, humility.
So Ghana craftsmen create their own beads with such layers of meaning - recycling glass from old beads, imported beads, or broken bottles.
To visit Ghana with me and see how these beads are made visit ghana-tours-travel.com
Beads are also made in brass or bronze - from recycled car parts.
More recently beads have been made in plastic - recycling broken hard plastics such as cups and trays.
Painted beads - a glass core on which
patterns are drawn with a powder
glass paste, before firing the beads
a second time.
Made by Hausa women in Kumasi
from old cassette and video cases,
bottles and containers.
d
Simple powder glass beads are made in a clay mould.
The pattern is built up in layers using dry powdered
glass and then fired until the glass softens and fuses.
