Internet takes ancient craft global

Not much has changed in the royal Asante court of Ghana, West Africa. The king still leads a colorful entourage, including the keeper of the king's gold, an umbrella bearer, the official shaver, clothier, nail clipper, food-taster, and fanner. Then there are royal oddities who have found favor: eunuchs, a family of Asante albinos, and the royal executioner, who's been out of a job for some time.

Trailing toward the back is Nana Frimpong, King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II's official woodcarver. Mr. Frimpong perhaps best represents Ghana's drive toward Internet connectivity - a way to stave off a continent-wide information famine.

After a day of carving official stools for his king, Frimpong takes his weekly trek from Kumasi to coastal Accra to pick up a check. The money comes largely from US customers who buy Frimpong's wood-carved stools, masks, and statues via an Internet arts website.

King Tutu praises Frimpong as a national model of how citizens can bypass dire economies.

"There are a lot of Nana Frimpongs in the Asante nation," says Tutu. "Many can be helped through the Internet, and the solution begins with public Internet centers and also private enterprise, like Nana has accessed."

Frimpong sells his wares through Novica.com, one of a handful of websites that offer crafts and artwork from developing countries.

The Los Angeles-based firm, launched in 1998 and affiliated with National Geographic, posts websites for artisans in 12 regions, along with photos, biographies, and descriptions of their work. These artisans say they receive substantially more than they would hawking wares to tourists in town squares. And without a middleman, customers pay less than retail.

"To me, it's interesting that the prime instrument of globalization - the Internet - is helping to maintain and promote local culture," says Alisa Johnson, a Washington, D.C., legal editor who bought two Frimpong stools over the Internet last year. "I liked knowing something about the artist I'm buying from, in that it gives greater meaning to what I place in my home. And I liked that much of the money went directly to the artist."

Frimpong recalls the day a woman entered his Kumasi shop, bought three masks, and mentioned the possibility of selling through the Internet - if his wares were uniform in quality. "I didn't know what she was talking about," says Frimpong, who doesn't own a computer or have access to a telephone line.

The adventure has since tripled Frimpong's income, making him somewhat of a celebrity among Manhyia palace regulars. And he employs a staff of 15 carvers to keep up with demand. "It's changed my life," says Frimpong, seated in his boxed, blue-walled home lit by two dim bulbs. "And I bought a car."

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