Fante Frankaa or Asafo Military Flag

Ghana had no standing army to speak of. It had the asafo, and the asafo had flags.

The Akan societies’ asafo, a people’s militia, was a well established social and political organization built on military principles. Each group is identified by a particular name and number and a set of symbols displayed prominently on its flag.

This Fante frankaa, cotton, 20th century, runs nearly six feet long and almost four feet high. Verbal proverbs, a significant facet of Akan culture, are represented by colored cutout figures appliqued on the cotton ground.

A flag that speaks in sayings. Take notes.