THREADING A NATION The Golden Stitches of Freedom Across the Fabric of Post-Independence Ghana

Abstract

Threading a Nation: The Golden Stitches of Freedom Across the Fabric of Post-Independence Ghana explores how fashion became a political and cultural language in Ghana during the Nkrumah era (1957–1966). Through garments like the batakari, European couture, and wax print, this thesis examines how clothing functioned as both a tool of unity and a site of contradiction, balancing colonial legacies with national identity. Drawing on archival sources, visual analysis, and personal reflection, it argues that fashion was not merely aesthetic but central to Ghana’s post-independence identity. From the runway to the marketplace, fashion was a performance of modernity, pride, resistance, and belonging. Ultimately, this project aims to show that Ghana’s freedom was not only declared in speeches, but sewn into seams. Fashion, like nationhood, was negotiated: woven from inherited threads, stitched with intention, and worn with meaning.