The Asafo fags are regimental fags of the Fante, an ethnic group living in Ghana's central and western coastal regions. The fags are infuenced by a combination of Akan proverbs, visual imagery, and the European heraldic tradition. The Asafo companies were developed as all-male defensive military groups in Fante villages. Asafo is derived from the Fante words sa, meaning “war” and fo, meaning “people.” Asafo companies were also responsible for maintaining sanitation and roadwork, protecting state goods, creating local policies, conducting funeral rights, and organising community entertainment. After trading gold, ivory, and slaves with the Europeans, the Asafo companies adapted their fags to display designs symbolizing proverbs about security and warfare. The fghting duties of the Asafo companies ended with British colonisation, but they still played a strong role in the ritual life of Fante villages.
In Fante, fags are called frank and serve as a key item in Asafo regalia. A man who wishes to join Asafo society designs a new fag and commissions its production from the local fag maker—some makers could develop high prestige thanks to their skills and talent. The imagery of the fag was meant to challenge rival groups as it asserted the wealth and power of the company. A company's fags are usually hung around the Posuban, a concrete shrine for each company that is colourfully decorated with bright fgures and serves as a place for regalia and sacrifce. The fags are carried in a procession through villages and are used at annual festivals, funerals for company members, and other occasions. Asafo fags are still being made and used as an important part of communal life in Fante villages
The Asafo fag included here was made during the frst years of British colonial rule in Ghana. It depicts a train carrying mining products in great detail, alongside the Union Jack in its upper left corner—post-independence fags would carry the Ghanian colours instead and older fags would feature the Dutch ones. The frst trainline in Ghana was built by the British between the coast and the mining town of Tarkwa, which was strictly used as an instrument for colonial plunder. While the intended meaning of using this loaded train on an Asafo fag remains with its maker and commissioner, we can speculate that it was either meant as a threatening (yet perhaps ironic) symbol of devastation towards a rival Asafo company (as many fags indeed were), or as an aspirational symbol of modernity and progress, showing the company’s sense of belonging to the new colonial society.
Designed & Developed by: Curves n' Colors | Visual identity by: Wkshps
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