The symbols come from the Akan peoples of Ghana, including the Ashanti. Long ago, craftspeople carved each symbol into a piece of calabash (a hard, dried gourd), dipped it into black dye, and stamped patterns onto cloth. The same patterns are still used today on cloth, on jewellery, on T-shirts, on buildings.
Each symbol has a name and a meaning. Sankofa is shaped like a bird looking back over its shoulder, picking up an egg. It means 'go back and get it' - look at what came before, learn from it, and bring it forward. It is one of the most famous Adinkra in the world.
Other Adinkra include Gye Nyame, a swirling shape that means 'the greatness of the universe', and Dwennimmen, two ram's horns that mean 'strength with gentleness'. Adinkra can mean wisdom, unity, patience, courage, family. Together, they make a kind of picture-language of important ideas.
Today, Adinkra are everywhere in Ghana - on schools, on stamps, on football kits, on jewellery. People all over the world have started using them too. A Sankofa bird is sometimes used as a logo for libraries and learning programmes, because it stands for the wisdom of looking back to move forward.