Due to the demand for their vivid colors and distinctive cultural expressions, traditional African textiles are currently undergoing a rebirth.
Traditional African textiles have been made, woven, and embroidered with artistic skill since the dawn of human civilization.
These textiles represent the diverse fabric of the African continent and serve as historical documents.
African weavers and artists have been creating clothing for more than a millennium. They come from 54 countries and more than 3,000 ethnic groupings.
This type of fabric can be used to honor a particular person, remember a special moment, or even convey a political stance.
Textiles have been used to transmit important cultural knowledge in addition to being frequently at the center of festivities and events.
History of African Fabric
Ancient Egypt, where flax was woven into linen, is where the origins of African fabric production may be traced back to 5000 BC. With the production of textile-related raw materials such as tree bark, animal hides, cotton, palm, jute, flax, and silk, North Africa’s textile industry grew rapidly. Before the Dutch and the French brought in Ankara (a type of batik) and Shweshwe (a type of tie-and-dye), Africans utilized mud and texture to make straightforward designs, setting the stage for an African textile revolution.
The Dutch Wax Print also referred to as Ankara, is one of the most well-known African textiles. While occupying Indonesia, the Dutch developed the art of batik, and they also introduced Ankara to West Africa.
Wax prints started being produced in large quantities in facilities across the Netherlands and other regions of Europe. These European-made fabrics, however, were never widely accepted in their intended Asian market because the Javanese valued hand-made genuine goods over machine-made imitations.
The Dutch gave the African nations along their trade routes the materials they possessed at the beginning of the 1800s. At this time, Dutch recruits from Africa started sending gifts of fabric home.
Due in large part to the fact that there was nothing else quite like it, the distinctive, lovely cloth was quickly welcomed by West African countries, and through time, it became an essential component of their own culture.
Despite the fact that we often identify this cloth with Africa, it was not originally made or planned there. Its manufacturing was under Dutch supervision, and the Dutch cleverly redesigned it utilizing African folktales, stories, and rituals described by neighborhood traders and artisans.
Through this reworking, the fabric became a print that eventually developed into an unsaid language. The idea of employing art as a covert means of communication among tribes, nations, and women often discussing taboo subjects was accepted by the Africans.
A visual language was created by the prints, and it permeated all of Africa.
They denoted celebrations and rites of passage, communicated different messages, and portrayed varied emotions.
The Dutch dipped into African culture to make the fabrics come alive and resonate with the people of Sub-Saharan Africa because they understood that authenticity was essential to the appeal of African patterns and textiles (a lesson learned from their unsuccessful attempt to replicate the process for the Asian market).
This led to the fabric’s rapid popularization, and because it linked people to politics, religion, and culture, it gained the name “African Print.”
We may make a lot of cultural similarities by looking at African patterns and textiles. Despite the fact that cotton and silk make up the majority of the base materials, the origins of the fabrics are ultimately determined by the designs.
Origin of African Fabrics
The bold motifs, inventive patterns, and unapologetically vivid color palettes of African fabrics have earned them acclaim around the world. Similar to their Asian counterparts, these fabrics are steeped in rich culture, history, and customs and express the essence of life while bringing vibrancy to daily existence.
Fashion and interior design trends around the world are clearly influenced by African fabrics.
As was already said, the history of the textile business in Africa dates back to 5000 BC, when the ancient Egyptians first started growing flax and weaving it into linen.
A scene of weavers working a horizontal loom is depicted in artwork from the 12th dynasty, which was discovered in the tomb of Khnumhotep (about 2400 BC). Pyramids, artwork, and hieroglyphs all depict cloth-draped Egyptians in great detail.
As evidenced by the statues of the great queen Amanishakheto, pharaoh Piye, and the Meroitic pyramids, even the Egyptians’ southern neighbors, the Nubians, had a thriving textile industry.
Later, as numerous African civilizations rose to prominence, cotton became a common material. Weavers were present in Timbuktu and the Mali empire in the 1300s, according to traveler Ibn Battuta. The boubou, a traditional long garment, became increasingly popular as Islam spread over West Africa.
Africa now has a thriving textile heritage. Mali is the place where the hand-woven Bogolan, often called “mud cloth,” originated. In the past, only royalty could buy versions of Ghana’s national fabric, the kente cloth, which was sewn with gold threads.
According to legend, British explorers were impressed by the splendor of an Ashanti king’s apparel.
Fabric manufactured from tree bark has a long history in Cameroon, with some fabrics made exclusively from obom. Clothing and bags are still made from raffia fibers.
The finest weavers in the nation also create the intricately woven clothing used by West Cameroon’s rulers, which is embellished with beads.
While Pygmies employ bark fabric created from tropical fig trees, people in Chad and the Central African Republic weave cotton strips on horizontal looms using a variety of natural colors.
Some of the most exquisite handmade sculptures, garments, and blankets are made by the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo using raffia.
Beautiful, bright quilts and blankets are totally handmade by the Ndebele people of South Africa and Zimbabwe, continuing a historical tradition.
Well-dressed Ndebele ladies would be admired for their grace, color, and presentation.
Popular textiles of Africa
1. Kuba Fabric
The people of the Bakuba kingdom, which was situated along the Kasai River in the contemporary Democratic Republic of Congo, created these textiles from palm fibers.
They were traditionally used for royal clothing and rugs. In the early 20th century, artists like Matisse and Picasso were influenced by the patterns on the cloth.
2. Ase Oke
The Yoruba term for “greetings on the spending of money,” Ase Oke, is the name given to a unique fabric in the Yoruba culture. Men alone weave this fabric on tiny strip looms with silk or cotton-based ingredients. Both Yoruba men and women place a high value on ase oke, which confers both aesthetic appeal and social rank on the wearer and the weaver.
When English lace that had been imported became scarce during World War II, this magnificent fabric, made by Yoruba men in Nigeria, rose to prominence.
To make up for this, delicate lace-like decorations were added to the weaves, which is a characteristic aspect that is frequently displayed in Ase Oke.
Popular Ase Oke styles include:
• Alaari: This is a rich, red Ase Oke, often worn on special occasions.
• Sanyan: This Ase Oke is brown, typically light brown in color, and is a common choice for various events.
• Etu: This dark blue Ase Oke is another popular style regularly adorned by Yoruba people.
3. The Okene Fabric
A sort of woven fabric called the Okene Cloth was developed in the Nigerian community of Okene.
The Okene is regarded as a “prestige” cloth manufactured by Ebira women using huge fixed looms inside their homes, in contrast to the Ebira men who weave on small portable looms outside.
Metallic gold or silver threads are frequently used in contemporary weaves, giving the fabric a lovely gloss.
These fabrics, which are frequently used as headwraps or wraps, elevate the status of the ladies who wear them. Additionally, they enhance the reputation of the dyers and weavers who make them.
4. Kente fabric
Of all African textiles, Kente is undoubtedly the most well-known and intricately woven. Men use a combination of small hand and foot looms to create this fabric. It is customary for members of the Ashanti royal family to don it for formal occasions like’stooling,’ a ceremony that represents ascending to the throne.
When the Ashanti display their spectacular gold jewelry and renowned golden stool at royal celebrations, the brilliant colors and geometric patterns of Kente cloth make the ideal contrast.
A stunning cloth is made by stitching together the long, narrow strips of kente that Ashanti men weave. It was originally woven with silk, especially for the Ashanti nobility.
5. Adire Fabric
Adire is a word that means “tie and dye” in Yoruba. This is a reference to the indigo-dyed textile, one of the most recognizable fabrics in Africa that is typically worn only by women. Adire cloth is made of cotton fabric that resists starch and has a design akin to batik.
The old Adire art form has been actively being revived by the artist Niki Seven.
Early in the 20th century, new methods of resist dyeing appeared, most notably the technique of hand-painting designs on the fabric with a paste made of cassava root before dying. Adire Eleko was the name given to this technique.
The textiles from Adire, which are indigo-dyed and made by Yoruba women in southwest Nigeria employing a variety of resist dyeing techniques, are well-known. Early textiles, like those now made in Mali, were probably hand-spun cotton fabrics that were locally woven with basic knotted designs.
Content courtesy of Fiber 2 Fashion & NFH
