Shifting Gender Roles of Females in the Indigenous Weaving Art of Daboya ‘Benchibi’ in Ghana

Abstract

Benchibi is an indigenous woven fabric used predominantly to produce smocks (a traditional dress in the northern parts of Ghana). Historically, the production of Benchibi was the preserve of male-dominated occupations in the area. Traditionally, women's roles and participation in the production line of benchibi were to spin the cotton fibres into yarns and gather plants for preparing dyes. Women were not allowed to weave for cultural and traditional reasons based on taboos and superstitions. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in the production line of this indigenous craft. Females have broken the umbilical cord that prevents them from weaving. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the shifting gender roles in the production of Benchibi and what has necessitated the increased female participation in the once male-dominated occupation. The descriptive research method was used in the study, which was based on a qualitative research design. Observation and interviews were the instruments used for the data collection. For the study, purposive sampling techniques of expert and homogeneous types were used to select fifteen (15) female weavers. The descriptive method was used to analyze the data. The study revealed that self-motivation and passion sustained the females in acquiring skills for the industry through apprenticeship, leading to the break-down of the superstition and taboos associated with weaving in the community. The study concludes that the once common superstition that limited female involvement in the weaving tradition has been broken as many, through this business, have become self-sufficient. The study, therefore, recommends that more efforts be made by the females who have taken this bold decision and ventured into this male-dominated tradition of weaving to empower more females to take up the weaving business.

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