In Ghana's Ashanti Region, there exists a category of person referred to as preman--a word derived from the English "play man" or "play boy" that is largely used in reference to certain women, often wealthy traders. A preman is characterized as being a very expensive type of person, a "high-timer," always wearing beautiful, costly clothing, eating rich food, and being seen at every social occasion. In many ways, the preman epitomizes the long-standing Asante cultural practice of poatwa--behavior that involves both verbal and nonverbal assertions of superior status.
The Asante are a people renowned for their history of communicating political power, status, and wealth through prestigious dress and golden regalia. In present-day Asante, the visible self continues to provide a major means for displaying and asserting a successful, socially admirable identity, with particular attention directed toward the dress behavior of women. At key transition points in women's lives, as well as formal and informal social occasions, women dress with an awareness that their dress behavior will be subjected to critical scrutiny. Of a woman who dresses beautifully, it is said with appreciation, "o pe life," ('she likes fashion').
Dressing "gorgeously" is considered a hallmark of premani behavior, with the preman notable not only for the costliness of her dress, but also for wearing the latest, most fashionable and "fanciful" styles. Yet preman is a term that may also be used to criticize a woman's dress and behavior, indicating an individual whose clothing or demeanor exceeds the boundaries of social propriety. This paper will explore what these differing interpretations of the preman reveal concerning class and ethnic differences in contemporary Asante, as well as current tensions between fundamentalist Christian values and customary Asante status-seeking ideals.