Carvings

The wood carvings from Ghana are usually kept simple and previously had exclusively practical uses. Since more and more creative influence from other African countries has come to Ghana, the decorative aspect has also found its importance.

Sculpture throughout West Africa has the power to act, to make things happen. A carved figure, for example, can be used by practitioners to communicate with ancestors and spirits. The physical presence of a mask can allow the invisible world to interact with and influence the visible world of people.

For the carvings in our shop, we take care to choose the right wood. We want to preserve rare woods and therefore use common and fast-growing tree woods from Ghana.

The items are carved from fresh wood and must then dry for some time before further processing. Back-orders therefore require a manufacturing time of usually 4 weeks.

The following timber is used:

Funtumia elastica (Local Name: Osese, Common Name: West African Rubber Tree)