Mensah Bonsu, aka "Kente Man"

“Kente Man”, as he is commonly called, has been weaving Kente for more than 40 years. At the age of 16, Mensah decided he wanted to weave Kente just like his uncle. Eventually he left his parents’ home to stay with him. Every day after school, he insisted on doing his homework at the Kente shop so he wouldn’t miss anything. He became more or less an apprentice, learning the techniques of the trade each passing day. His uncle saw the passion Mensah had for the profession and encouraged him every step of the way.

Years later, Mensah earned enough money to start his own Kente weaving business. The business flourished and he was able to support a family and hire some apprentices. Over the years, many of his Kente strips have made their rounds to college graduations in the U.SA. His family is ever grateful that he saw and embraced his passion as early as he did. Like his uncle, he is giving back to his community by helping to train the next generation of Kente weavers.