Broadloom

Broadloom is a wooden equipment/structure that uses manual effort to produce fabrics using warp and weft yarns in a traditional way. Materials that are produced on the  broadloom have wider width as compared to those produced on the traditional kente loom. On the traditional kente loom, the fabrics are produced in narrow strips of about five inches in width and later joined side-by-side to form a wider piece. Broadloom woven pieces are used for napkins, table cloth, wall hangings, suiting materials, men's cover cloth, material for "kabba" , curtains and to mention a few. 

History of broadloom weaving in Ghana.
According to Adomako 2013, the head of broadloom section at the Centre for National Culture Kumasi states that, Japan is the origin of broadloom weaving and was introduced in Ghana in 1971 by Mr Lionel Kow Idan once the director of the then Ghana national Culture Centre now Centre for National Culture and the founder of the Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. Mr Idan who learned the skill in Japan introduced two pedals in addition to the four which was then used in Japan. It is known that, the first design produced out of the broadloom was the “Nwotoa” and diamond designs which were both found in the traditional Ghanaian Kente.

In 1981 his Excellency J. J Rawlings the then president of the republic of Ghana organised National Art Exhibition and when he saw the act of broadloom weaving he loved it so much that it was made to be introduced in all the regions in Ghana. Mr L. K Idan who had a broad vision of introducing broadloom weaving to second cycle and tertiary institutions across the country was then achieved. 

L. K Idun also invented other types of loom which two of them are the Boku and the Betty loom which were named after his children.

Since his death in 1982, his great contribution to the Art fraternity and to national development thus his legacy still leads on in Ghana.