'Ahwenepa nkasa', literally translated in Asante Twi as "good beads don’t speak." Speak of beads and you refer to one of the most iconic accessories of feminine sexuality in Ghanaian culture.

Worn around the waistline, beads say one thing in many ways; beauty, attraction, love and feminine pride. It’s also a symbol of royalty. Find a woman who wears waist beads, and she is most likely a Ghanaian woman.

Waist beads are by far one of the striking codes in our native Ghanaian culture.

Some women wear them to check their weight. Other women also wear them around their waistline to accentuate their curves. But most men love to see their women in them because it arouses their sexual desires.

Here are some views from the Ashanti regional capital Kumasi on what waist beads mean to men.

"I love waist beads more than the food I eat," one of the residents said.

"Many people will not agree with me, but a woman without waist beads to me I don’t think is a woman. Even after lovemaking and you’re lying there relaxing and talking, you can even use your hands around that waist beads. It turns a man on," another resident said.

One lover of beards in the Garden City also said, "I don’t feel attracted to a woman without waist beads. I’ve always used about half of my salary to buy waist beads for my woman. If my woman tears her's today, I’ll get her another one tomorrow. Because I love it."

For another guy, "Seeing colourful waist beads on a women’s makes me go high. It takes all my attention, if a dog bites me, I don’t feel it. It’s because of my love for waist beads."

According to one resident, if a woman doesn’t wear waist beads, "I won’t even have intercourse with you. I like waist beads a lot. It makes the game very interesting."

"Waist beads are classic. The vibrations are exceptional. The vibrations make you go high," he added.