Ahwiaa Carving Centre

Several woodcarvers are dotted all over Kumasi and its environs. In Kumasi itself, Anloga - between Ayigya and Asokwa as one enters the city on the Accra-Kumasi Road - is a very popular place for carvers and carpenters, especially those who specialize in door carvings. Another spot for carvers and dealers in royal regalia is at Manhyia on a street - Manhyia Hospital Road - one block away from the Asantehene's Palace. At Manhyia is a carving shop of the descedants of Osei Bonsu, a master carver who carved for at least three Asantehene in a span of about five decades. There are carvers at the Cultural Center, a short walk from the Kejetia Market, in the heart of Kumasi.

Another center of woodcarving is the village of Ahwiaa. Ahwiaa is one of the craft villages dotted around Kumasi. Ahwiaa is about three miles north of Kumasi on the Kumasi-Mampong Road. Ahwiaa has been the traditional centre of woodcarving for the Royal Ashanti over four hundred years. The main road is lined on both sides with small shops where carvers display their wares. The carvings include families of elephants, stools, elaborate masks, fertility dolls, and linguists' staffs the carvers here make it all, and are proud of their works.

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