CEDI, GHANA’S PREMIER BEAD MAKER OF KROBO-DESCENT

Colourful beads from Krobo

Beads remain one of the most treasured products and symbols of status, wealth, and success. They are, undoubtedly, the leading indigenous products that have sold the name Krobo globally.

One man whose unrivaled efforts over the past five decades have greatly contributed to shaping this enviable reputation is Mr. Ebenezer Nomoda Djaba, aka Cedi, the Managing Director of Cedi Beads Industry at Odumase-Krobo in the Eastern Region.                                                                                                                                 

Mr. Ebenezer N. Djaba, aka Cedi. 

Cedi was born into a bead-making family from Osupanya in the Djebiam clan of Manya Krobo. From what started as a small family occupation dating back to the 15th century which was transmitted in succession to generations, he has honed the skill which he mainly acquired through an imitation of his parents’ craft, built into a thriving and unrivaled enterprise and succeeded in shooting not only himself but the Krobo state and Ghana into international space. He is, by common consent, a national asset and presently Ghana’s biggest bead ambassador.

THE GENESIS:

At age seven (7), young Cedi imitated the bead-making procedure – which he had watched from a distance - on the blind side of the parents and succeeded in making balls of beads with fascinating designs that left the parents awestruck. It was first a juvenile escapade that turned into a passion, a skill, and now a business of international repute.  

Now, apart from the main production site which is nestled in a green and calming environment where you get to see the furnaces, lecture centres and showrooms, among others, he operates an annex with a similar setup along the Tema-Akosombo highway. He has also networked with other fledging bead makers operating from locations such as Obawale, Tsedi-Teryi, Agogo Trawa, Sekesua, Siblinor, Somanya, Odumase, etc. Most of these producers were once under his tutelage.

THE PRODUCTS FROM HIS FURNACE:

With his vast knowledge in the art of recycled glass bead making acquired and honed over the past five decades and ably supported by a twenty-four-member staff, Cedi is able to literally turn trash into glitter. His products include bodom beads, recycled aggrey beads, powdered (glazed) beads, recycled glass fragment beads, recycled glass fragment buttons, powdered glass beads, powdered glass buttons, and lampwork beads (in Venetian tradition).

                                                                                                                                                     

A young Krobo lady spotting her colourful beads

Beads of immense cultural value produced by Cedi Beads for both the local and international markets include powa or chevron, mƐtƐ, akorso, korli, zagba, olongo, huadji, lƐƐ, aplekuwa, sorbley, among others.

CEDI, THE GLOBETROTTER:

His innovative designs, techniques, passion for the craft, and towering height in the bead-making industry have taken him across the globe for conferences, lectures, exhibitions, and art fairs in over sixty (60) countries. From the year 1997 when he made his maiden trip to a beads trade show at the Javits Center in the United States of America through Aid to Artisans Ghana, Cedi has become the go-to expert who jets in and out of the country at will to honour his never-ending invitations from event organisers, universities and similar institutions.

Aside from the USA, his much sought-after craft has since taken him to numerous destinations such as the United Kingdom, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Uganda and many more too numerous to exhaust.                                                                                                                                                    

RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS:

Cedi has obtained several awards and certificates including certificates of participation at the Dallas Apparel and Accessories Market (2019) in USA, Advanced Chevron Beadmaking, Stagecoach, Nevada, USA (2018), Santa Fe International Art Market (2018), Living Traditions Award by the International Folk Art Market, USA (2018), Gold Award, 4th Ghana Business and Financial Service Excellence Awards, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ghana in 2011.                                                                                                                                                     

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES:

Cedis is presently the Vice Chairman of the Ghana Association of Visual Artists (GAVA); Founder and President, Krobo Bead Society; founding member, Ghana Beads Society; Aid to Artisans Ghana (ATAG); International Society of Glass Beadmakers, USA, Ghana Shippers Council, Eastern Region and the West African Trade Hub, Ghana.                                                                                                                                            

THE WAY FORWARD: 

Aside from the remarkable feat he has achieved in repositioning and popularizing bead-making as Krobo’s most priced trade, the transfer of the craft through apprenticeship, and the employment opportunities he continues to create, Cedi has plans of establishing an internationally accredited Glass Bead-Making School in Ghana to promote Krobo, Ghanaian and African beads.                                                                                                                                 

He is also looking forward to establishing an international museum aimed at documenting West Africa's bead traditions and culture from prehistoric times to the present day. This will, without doubt, consolidate his position as Krobo and Ghana’s greatest beads ambassador.

Cedi (seated) demonstrates a stage in the bead-making process.  

                                                                                                                                                 

The writer, Henking A. Adjase-Kodjo, is a Public Relations/Development Communication practitioner, a freelance journalist, an activist writer, a blogger, an incurable social worker and a culture enthusiast from Odumase-Krobo. Email: klonobi2007@gmail.com