#Teena The Northern Narrative #Nafisa Handbag

The Nafisa Handbag is dedicated to, inspired by, and named after Nafisa Adams: a young, inventive and industrious woman from Upper East region of Ghana. Nafisa runs Beads of Hope, an inspirational project premised on empowering locally based women by crafting simple bead jewellery, thus enabling economic agency. 

After using bead making to put herself through University, Nafisa has expanded the project into a thriving local business that helps women earn an honest and dignified living, while providing sustainable livelihoods to families challenged by poverty. Due to its great success, Beads of Hope has begun employing young boys and girls from neighbouring Navrongo and Bolga to help pay their book and school fees.

Nafisa gives us hope. Hope for the North. Hope for Ghana. Hope for Africa. 

#Teena The Northern Narrative

‘Teena’ means hope in Grushie, which is spoken in some Gonja and Zongo communities.  The collection comprises of women’s handbags, messenger bags and unisex laptop bags. 

The design for each product is informed by a piece of Fugu, which means ‘cloth’ in Moshie. The cloth is made with cotton which is processed into threads. The threads are then stretched, dyed in different colours, dried and woven into strips and stoles with handlooms.

The woven cloth signifies unity: Unity in nation building; Unity in the workplace; Unity to achieve a dream, any dream; Unity to make Ghana a much better place to live in and work for.  Dr Nkrumah and five of his patriot comrades: Komla Gbedemah, Kojo Botsio, Archie Casely-Hayford, Krobo Edusei, and N.A. Wellbeck all appeared in splendid smocks at the Old Polo grounds on March 6 1957, to declare Ghana’s official independence from British colonialism.

Accordingly, the patched leather used in manufacturing the Teena series signifies unity and togetherness. Despite (if not because of) our varying cultural backgrounds, beliefs, occupations and political affiliations, we can build the Nation by intertwining strength and hope. We aim to extend this narrative.