Recording the Weavers Designs of Kente for All Time

How to Register Kente

Three pathways for documenting authentic Kente.

Start Registration

Or read the guide below before you begin.

The Kente Registry is the world’s first digital platform dedicated to documenting, verifying, and preserving authentic Kente traditions. Whether you are a master weaver seeking recognition, a community representative documenting a heritage design, or an owner seeking authentication of a Kente cloth, the Registry provides a structured, culturally respectful pathway for registration.

Our registration process covers three distinct pathways, each designed with care for cultural sensitivity, institutional credibility, and archival integrity.

Three Registration Pathways

Pathway 1

Design Registration

Document a named Kente design pattern, its symbolic meaning, cultural history, and technical characteristics. Ideal for weavers, community representatives, and cultural researchers preserving design heritage.

Pathway 2

Master Weaver Profile

Submit a profile for a master weaver, whether for yourself or on behalf of a recognised practitioner. Document apprenticeship history, specialisations, and professional recognition within Ghana’s weaving communities.

Pathway 3

Cloth Authentication

Request verification of a Kente cloth in your possession. Provide photographic evidence, provenance details, and material information for expert assessment based on available evidence.

Before You Submit

The form takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. To ensure your application is processed efficiently, please have the following ready before you start:

  • Personal details, full name, email address, phone or WhatsApp number, country of residence, and your role (Weaver/Artisan, Family or Community Representative, Researcher/Academic, Collector/Dealer, Museum or Cultural Institution, or Other).
  • Design information (Design Registration only), the design name, local language name(s), weave and cloth type, ethnic or cultural origin, geographic place of origin, approximate period, symbolic meaning, physical description, colours, and occasions of use. Include any known weaver lineage or oral history.
  • Weaver information (Master Weaver Profile only), full name, date of birth, nationality, hometown, current town of practice, years of experience, weave types specialised in, training background, and any notable achievements or guild memberships.
  • Cloth details (Cloth Authentication only), a description of the cloth (colours, pattern name if known, approximate size), any existing Registry ID or certificate, claimed weaver or origin, and the purpose of your authentication request.
  • High-resolution photographs, for Design Registration: a main design photo (required), close-up of the weave structure, and optionally a third image. For Cloth Authentication: a full cloth photo and detail shots of the weave.
  • Supporting documentation, any proof of purchase, historical records, identity document (for weaver profiles), or relevant evidence (optional but helpful for verification).

All submissions undergo structured review. Submission does not guarantee verification. By submitting, you consent to information being used for the purposes of the Kente Registry; images and design details may appear in the public registry unless you indicate otherwise.

What Happens After Submission?

01

Administrative Review

Your submission is checked for completeness and assigned an intake record.

02

Technical Assessment

Experts evaluate photographic evidence, weave structure, and material details.

03

Cultural Cross-Reference

Information is cross-referenced with community records and oral traditions.

04

Decision & Notification

You are notified of the outcome and, if verified, assigned a unique Registry ID.

Estimated review time: 2 to 4 weeks.

Your Unique Registry ID

Upon verification, you are assigned a permanent Registry ID that uniquely identifies your record within the archive.

KR-D-0001

Design Registration

KR-W-0001

Master Weaver Profile

KR-C-0001

Cloth Authentication

Submit Your Application

The form below combines all three registration pathways for ease of submission. Please select the type of registration that applies to you and complete the relevant sections. All fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

Preserving Authentic Ghanaian Kente Heritage, One Thread at a Time.

Before you begin

What you’ll need to hand

Registering a weaver or a cloth with the Global Kente Registry is a considered act of preservation. The form takes most submitters between 15 and 30 minutes to complete, and the more detail you provide, the stronger the record. You don’t need every item on this list to submit — missing information can always be added later — but the fields below are what reviewers look at most closely.

For a cloth submission

  • Clear photographs of the full cloth, front and back
  • Close-up photos of at least two distinct patterns or motifs
  • Approximate dimensions (length × width, in centimetres or inches)
  • The weaver’s name, if known
  • Weaving community and region, if known
  • Year or approximate period of weaving
  • Any known history of the cloth (commission, ceremony, owner lineage)

For a weaver submission

  • The weaver’s full name and any honorifics
  • Community, region, and workshop location
  • Years active (approximate is fine)
  • Lineage or apprenticeship details, if known
  • One portrait photograph, if available
  • Example images of the weaver’s work

If you’re submitting on behalf of a weaver, an elder, or a family, please indicate this in the form. We treat all lineage and provenance information with care and verify through established community channels before publication.

Registry Submission Form

Submit a weaver or cloth for inclusion

The submission form is hosted by KoBoToolbox, a secure data-collection platform used by the Registry. Loading the form will connect your browser to ee.kobotoolbox.org and may set cookies required for the form to function.

By loading the form you consent to a connection with KoBoToolbox. Your form responses are submitted directly to the Registry’s secure intake. See our privacy policy for details.

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What happens next

From submission to registry entry

Every submission passes through a structured review before it becomes a registry entry. Here’s the journey your submission takes.

1

Submission received

You’ll see a confirmation on screen once the form is submitted. A copy is stored securely in the Registry’s intake system. No entry is published publicly at this stage.

2

Initial review

A Registry editor checks the submission for completeness, flags any missing essentials, and contacts you if clarification is needed. This usually happens within seven working days.

3

Community verification

For weaver profiles and historically significant cloths, we consult with community elders, master weavers, and, where relevant, the traditional authority of the weaver’s region. This step honours the cultural custodianship of kente and can take several weeks.

4

Published to the Registry

Once verified, the entry is added to the public Registry with a unique KR identifier. You’ll receive an email with a permanent link to the entry. Corrections and additions can be submitted at any time.

The Registry is a collaborative record. If you notice an error in an existing entry, or have additional information about a weaver, cloth, or community, please use the form to submit it — we revise entries as the record deepens.