Georgina Fofana celebrates sisterhood with Ghanaian waist bead tradition

Lombard resident Georgina “Gina” Fofana needs to get Chicagoland waisted — as in getting adorned with strands of ornamental Ghanaian beads worn across the hips and waistline.

For the previous yr, the native of Ghana and instructor at East Garfield Park’s Study Constitution College Community’s Campbell Campus has been instructing girls concerning the cultural significance of waist beads, traditions she discovered all through her life.

By way of her firm, Ayebea’s Charming Beads, Fofana encourages girls to embrace themselves as they’re. Below the moniker Jerk-N-Waisted, Fofana has been internet hosting bead gatherings (with a facet of jerked hen, plantains, Jollof rice, and cabbage) to unfold this message and produce collectively a neighborhood of girls. Based on Fofana, females put waist beads on different females to attach and bond with each other.

“There’s a tune in Ghana the place a person asks ‘Who loves me?’ He responds ‘Himself, me,’” she stated. “He asks different individuals who loves him, however he began by saying me.” Fofana says the identical applies with regards to girls in America. “We acquired to start out with us … acquired to start out with you.”

Fofana is adamant that waist beads will not be about weight reduction. As an alternative, Ghanaian waist beads are about love, self-care, sisterhood, magnificence, empowerment and neighborhood. They’re positioned on girls and youth in related vogue to the Dipo ceremony carried out by and for Krobo girls in Ghana — a ritual that takes place when a woman will get her menses, whereby the ladies in her life have a good time the ceremony of passage by adorning her physique with conventional beads and jewellery which have been handed down from generations.

“You received’t discover a Ghanaian girl that has one strand of beads on or two or three. There’s often extra,” Fofana stated. “I’ve 15 on proper now. We imagine that the extra you may have, the extra stunning it appears. The larger beads have a unique that means; the totally different colours can characterize the wealth or social standing of the household. I at all times put on bracelets which have a few of these as a result of I’m a illustration of my tradition on this nation. So, I put on rather a lot.”

Fofana helps clients select beads that talk to them after which she ties the waist beads round their torso.

“It’s an emblem of female magnificence,” Fofana stated. “All my beads are named with intention. I ensure that the one who wears it has a approach of getting one thing that reminds them of themselves — their magnificence, humanity, femininity. I need the waist beads to function a reminder, when issues get chaotic so that you can discover that sense of peace and a way of calmness.”

Different information that Fofana drops on the lots:

• Waist beads are very like undergarments, personal — and shared solely with important others (not for public consumption);
• There are totally different strands for girls and women;
• Bead colours maintain their very own significance. Dubri is the colour blue in Akan, symbolizing therapeutic, concord, fact and devotion. Ankaahono signifies self-confidence, braveness and power by the colour orange. Tumtum or black interprets to energy, authority and safety. She named a strand of beads Adwo, which symbolizes one’s capability to maintain our inside peace and calm after we are confronted with issue and chaos. Fofana stated the standard beads function a reminder to maintain one’s cool with issues get onerous.

Her favourite strand is the Yaa Asantewaa, an emblem of power, bravery and resistance. Yaa Asantewaa was the Queen mom of Ejisu (a Ghanaian metropolis) and gatekeeper of the Golden Stool, a warrior queen who fought again towards British imperialism.

“I’m all concerning the power of girls,” Fofana stated. “As Black girls, we’re known as to do issues and step up and make selections or do issues that males will not be able to doing. Asantewaa is my hero. I created a strand that honors her, girls, our braveness and devotion … created from crystals and heart-shaped beads that glow in the dead of night as a result of as Black girls we at all times discover a strategy to shine within the midst of darkness.”

Instructor Keisha Washington adorns herself with 20 waist beads and some anklets which might be former waist beads. At a current East Pilsen Jerk-N-Waisted occasion, the mom of three, stated she acquired her first waist beads from one other enterprise. Nonetheless, Fofana supplied her the historic information of Ghanaian waist beads.

“After dropping my sister from ovarian most cancers, Fofana supplied me some colours that symbolized power. I stated I need all of them,” Washington stated. “I put on them in symbolism of various issues that I could also be experiencing at the moment in my life. Waist beads additionally assist me embrace my determine. As an alternative of taking a look at any flaws, I take a look at all the nice issues my physique does have to supply. Relating to making me really feel snug with my physique, beautification, that’s what my beads do for me. I began out with two. And that set is now on my ankle.”

Washington is on her third set of waist beads. When a change is required, the waist beads are minimize off and saved or repurposed for different feminine kinfolk. Washington has already positioned her former waist beads on her teenage cousins, whereas providing affirmations in doing so: “You’re stunning. You’re liked.” The identical as when Fofana put her strands on her.

Washington makes certain that she speaks positivity into whomever she’s inserting the beads on, very like Fofana. Washington might go to 21 strands as a result of Washington needs to get a mom and daughter set to honor her 4-year-old daughter, Terri.

Having performed a ceremony of passage for her daughter with waist beads, Fofana, a Loyola College alumna, is open to doing others, together with Washington’s.

“I imagine within the village and Fofana is part of my village with regards to elevating my youngsters,” Washington stated.

Jarritta Jay Scott, proprietor of SKN by J. Scott, a model of handmade whipped physique butter, oils and scrubs, wears 13 waist beads. And he or she’s seeking to get extra. The Dolton resident laughs when she talks about how addicted she’s develop into to them.

“I acquired my first two from Fofana and I simply saved wanting so as to add extra,” Scott stated. “It makes me really feel extra assured. After I take a look at myself within the mirror within the morning, after I’m getting dressed and it simply makes me really feel extra snug about my midsection. I’ve struggled with having very low self worth. And now, sporting these I do know I’m fairly. I could also be plus-sized, however I look good. You possibly can’t inform me nothing totally different.

“It’s a brand new starting of my angle for me and the way I take a look at myself. I don’t care how nobody else appears at me. How I take a look at myself, I’m the perfect factor strolling. My confidence is thru the roof. This helps me to be extra assured after I take a look at myself.”

What began as a private ardour that resulted in lots of a free reward to pals is now an concept that Fofana needs to construct right into a brick and mortar location throughout the subsequent yr. With waist beads ranging in price from $11 per strand to $28 per strand, Fofana’s job is to inform clients how Ghanaian bead traditions are completed, however not power others how one can put on them.

“I often counsel girls begin off with three strands as a result of one strand you’re actually not gonna see it, and since the quantity three has significance in Ghanaian tradition,” Fofana stated. “When feeding my daughter at her puberty ceremony, I fed it to her thrice. When libations are made, it’s completed thrice honoring God, the earth, and our ancestors. There’s significance in doing issues in threes. They will add to them at any time when they wish to. They will take some off. They will change.”

Born and raised in Ghana with waist beads being a part of her complete life, Fofana reiterates waist beads will not be a pattern, however a practice that spans time from being utilized in commerce to serving as a software for infants and their development.

“I don’t need folks to put on them as a result of they see them on TikTok,” she stated. “I need folks to know the traditions earlier than they put on them. It’s extra of a self love sort factor … it helps beautify me as I’m proper now, studying to just accept me on this second.” With the momentum that her communal Jerk-N-Waisted events are gathering, she needs her endeavor to be a secure house for girls to come back and never simply purchase waist beads, however sit amongst each other and speak.

“I’ll share my tradition with you. You possibly can share no matter it’s that you really want with me to unload. I’ll lend you that ear, so you possibly can calm down and return residence. I wish to be that house,” Fofana stated.

To e book a gathering or session, attain out to [email protected] or go to ayebeasbeads.com.

[email protected]