Cotton blend kente shawl, 'The Heart's Desire' (4 strips) (Ghana)

Warm yellow and hot pink alternate in a delightful shawl from Rachel Armah. Woven by hand, traditional West African kente cloth depicts a design known as Mako Maso Adeae. The phrase means my heart's desire in the Akan language. Each strip of kente cloth requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging and spirituality, and white is purity.