Breakfast box, Ntaban wax print – the Swallows

In Ghana, when this fabric passes, they say “Sika wo ntaban”: money has wings.

On the round plate, a band of midnight blue and anise green stripes frames teal swallows in white medallions, with an orange crescent. The large speckled bowl carries the pattern on the inside, in a band and medallion; the mug displays it on the outside, in a band with a large medallion. This set is our tribute to the “Swallows” fabric, a reinterpretation named “Ntaban”: “the wings” in Twi (Ghana), after “Sika wo ntaban”.

🕊️ One pattern, a thousand names

Swallows with their wings spread wide: this design, born over seventy years ago, has become one of West Africa’s most recognizable wax prints. In the world of wax, the market women and those who wear the fabrics give it their names.

• Swallows (French-speaking countries): the name given by French speakers
• Sika wo ntaban (Ghana, Twi): “money has wings”
• Ago lè fio homè (Benin): for a marriage proposal or an audience with the king
• Eneke (Nigeria, Igbo): the bird from an Igbo proverb made famous by Chinua Achebe
• Sagbadrè (West Africa)

In Togo, this fabric dressed the crews of Air Afrique, to the point of taking its name.

✨ What the pattern tells

Good fortune, freedom, and transitions from one life to another. With humor, it reminds us that wealth can fly away as quickly as it arrives; it is given as a gift for a wedding, a departure, or a new home.

Our reinterpretation

The band on the plate, the band and medallion on the bowl, and the band and large medallion on the mug feature the swallows in midnight blue, anise green, teal, orange, and white. Each piece is decorated to order in our workshop in Alfortville, with the pattern prepared, applied, and glazed by hand before firing. The set is presented in a teal box with the KHA logo and a yellow interior.

At your table

On a light tablecloth, in the morning light, the trio brings guests together. Given for a wedding, a departure, or a new home, it follows the symbolism of the swallows.

Features

• Contents: 1 round dessert plate, 1 large speckled bowl (pattern on the inside), 1 standard mug (pattern on the outside).
• Colors: midnight blue, anise green, teal, orange, white.
• Material: porcelain.
• Plate: Ø 21 cm, h. 2.5 cm.
• Bowl: Ø 16 cm, h. 9 cm.
• Mug: Ø 8 cm, h. 9.1 cm, 30 cl.
• Set: approximately 3 kg.
• Personalization: pattern, colors, first name, date, or message available upon request.
• In case of breakage: replacement of the individual piece (same pattern, same dimensions) if the shape remains in the catalog.
• In the same pattern: set of 6 round plates, set of 12 square plates, oval salad bowl.

To give a new beginning or create your own flight, write to us: we will personalize the piece with you.