It said the festival aims to showcase the weaving industry as the wealth and worth of the Upper West Region and to portray Wa as the region’s weaving capital.

A statement issued by the Nubuke Foundation in Wa noted that the event is scheduled for 3rd to 5th of March 2023 at the premises of the Nubuke Foundation-Centre for Clay and Textiles at Loho near Wa.

“In keeping with the idea of independence, the festival highlights the diverse innovation and creativity taking place within the weaving communities and schools, especially in Wa, Nadowli, and Nandom,” the statement said.

It added that the three-day event would also draw attention to the “admirable skills of students in the Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Wa, whose cloth and furniture will be on display.”

The statement called on creative individuals in the region and beyond who wished to make a lasting impact on the lives of those students to join hands with the Foundation to build a community of friends from those special schools.

It indicated that the Woori Festival would also create a platform for the weavers and end users of their products such as designers, interior decorators, visitors, and the public to interact.

“With workshops taking place throughout the year, visitors will see the resulting products created by participants with support from experts and professionals, the statement added.

The statement said the festival would be spiced up with hands-on workshops and forums as well as creative activities such as artist performances, music, and weaving demonstrations, to give the attendants the “sounds, sights, tastes and textures of Wa.”

“The opening exhibition will feature works by textile and fibre artists practicing in Ghana – Alice Raymond, Fatric Bewong, Frederick Bamfo, Isaac Gyamfi, Kate Wand, Nii Nortey Dowouna”, it added.

The statement said the Foundation hoped to stimulate economic transformation within the Upper West Region with the support of the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat, in partnership with the Arts in West Africa (AWA), an ACP-EU Culture Programme, and the Centre Culturelle Kore and Institut Francais.

“We will launch initiatives realised with this support- an interactive map of the weaving stations in Wa, Nadowli, and Nandom,” the statement added