African textiles are textiles from various locations across the African continent. Across Africa, there are many distinctive styles, techniques, dyeing methods, decorative and functional purposes.
What is defined as textile art is art that uses varying materials and fibers to produce decorative, artistic objects. It’s one of the oldest forms of art in history and has played a part in practical and decorative man-made objects for hundreds of thousands of years.
This article explores the history of cloth making and textile designs across the continent in four regions of Sudan and the horn of Africa; west Africa; west-central Africa and eastern and southern Africa mostly focusing on the types of apparel, the methods of manufacture and the different designs.
Traditional Techniques and Materials
Long before the advent of modern technology, African artists have relied on a diverse range of techniques and materials to create their textile masterpieces. Among these traditional methods are weaving, dyeing, and embroidery, each lending its unique characteristics to the finished product.
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Among the oldest surviving African textiles were discovered at the archaeological site of Kissi in northern Burkina Faso.
Stripweaving, a centuries-old textile manufacturing technique of creating cloth by weaving strips together, is characteristic of weaving in West Africa, who credit Mande weavers and in particular the Tellem people as the first to master the art of weaving complex weft patterns into strips. Findings from caves at Bandiagara Escarpment in Mali propose its use from as far back as the 11th century.
From Mali, the technique spread across West Africa to Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria. Stripwoven cloths are made up of narrow strips that are cut into desired lengths and sewn together.
Weaving, for instance, has been a cornerstone of African textile art, with the loom serving as a powerful symbol of creativity and wisdom in many cultures. Raffia fiber from dried stripped leaves of raffia palm was commonly used in West Africa and Central Africa since it is widely available in countries with grasslands like Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Cotton fibers from the kapok tree has been extensively used by the Dagomba to produce long strips of fibre to make the Ghanaian smock. Other fiber materials included undyed wild silk used in Nigeria for embroidery and weaving, as well as barkcloth from fig trees used to make clothes for ceremonial occasions in Uganda, Cameroon, and the Congo. Over time most of these fibers were replaced with cotton.
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Dyeing, on the other hand, has imbued African textiles with a kaleidoscope of colors, ranging from the deep indigo of the Yoruba Adire cloth to the vibrant hues of the Malian Bogolanfini, or mud cloth. Dyeing is the main method of colouring fabrics.
Natural dyes such as vegetable and mineral dyes were widely used including blue from indigo which is obtained from a stream that runs from the Senegal River down to the Cameron border rich in Lonchocarpus cyanescens( a species of shrub from family Fabaceae.
Other natural dyes include Morinda brimstone tree for yellow, white from kaolin clay, black from charcoal or black clay, brown from mud, and red from Camwood. Some dyes like camwood need to be heated before use.
Embroidery was used for both decorative and functional purposes. For example, hemmed appliqué is a simple technique still used today where raffia cloth pieces are cut into designs and sewn onto the base fabric.
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The decorative pattern depends on the region and the imagination of the embroiderer. The Asante in Ghana use non-figurative patterns representing proverbs while the Ewes use figurative weft patterns also representing proverbs.
Horizontal looms: include single heddle looms, double heddle frame looms with foot treadles, and horizontal pit-treadle looms. However, there are many variations, for example, the Yoruba. In Nigeria use single heddle looms with extra string heddles but Kuba raffia weavers set the heddles at 45 degrees.
Vertical looms: Berbers in North Africa and the Yoruba in Nigeria used broad, upright vertical looms to weave cotton cloth while single heddle vertical looms are used in Cameroon and the Congo.
Cultural Significance
Beyond their aesthetic allure, African textiles have long served as vehicles for the transmission of cultural knowledge, embodying the values, beliefs, and histories of their creators. For example, the intricate patterns of the Kente cloth, woven by the Akan people of Ghana, convey complex messages about the wearer’s social status, lineage, or aspirations.
Similarly, the Yoruba Adire cloth, adorned with symbols and motifs, narrates stories and proverbs, providing valuable insights into the culture and worldview of its makers.
The Asante were the dominant people of West Africa's Gold Coast, present-day Ghana. With their wealth and a rich source of gold, they made all forms of jewelry, amulets, and talismans from the gold.
In the 18th century, the Asante acquired knowledge of the strip weaving technique from Bondoukou through trade that is seen in the present-day Ivory Coast. The Asante became respected for strip-weaving Kente cloths in cotton and silk in the weaving village of Bonwire.
The term Kente means basket and refers to the checkerboard pattern of the cloths. The cotton for early Kente was locally grown, but the silk was imported since silk moths a cotton not indigenous to Ghana.
In present day, Kente is found worn across the population, however its use is still concentrated among high society members and the wealthy.
Kyekye is a fabric originating from the Bondoukou people of Ivory Coast, and is often woven in a geometric pattern with blue indigo dye serving as the primary color scheme.
Kente cloth is also worn by the Ewe, located in Ghana and Togo and Benin Republic. The Ewe, a Gbe speaking group who originated from Nigeria, had a tradition of horizontal loom weaving, adopted the double heddle frame loom style of Kente cloth weaving from the Asante with some important differences.
The Ewe weave cotton cloth instead of silk or rayon and introduce floating figurative weft patterns representing proverbs. Also, since the Ewe were not centralized, Kente was not limited to use by royalty, though the cloth was still associated with prestige and special occasions.
Aso oke meaning top cloth, is the most prestigious hand-woven cloth of the Yoruba. It requires a level of expertise and time to weave the cloth.
Traditional indigo-colored Aso oke often required the hand-spun thread to be dyed up to fourteen times to achieve the deep blues needed. Special techniques were used to make the threads colorfast so that they would not damage the lighter colored threads or embroidery when washed.
The raw silk Aso oke called sanyan requires thousands of moth cocoons to be collected and their silk carefully unraveled and spun into thread. These types of labor-intensive activities were prerequisites to weaving and hand embroidering.
Technically, Aso oke is what is known as a double-heddle narrow loom weave. The cloth is made by weaving one forty foot or more four-inch band of cloth. This long piece is thetaken to a tailor who cuts it into pieces, sews it together, and sometimes hand-embroiders it.
Traditionally, Aso oke was woven from cotton and imported or domestic silk.
Faso Dan Fani produced in Burkina Faso by the Marka people, the name is Dyula for "woven cloth of the motherland." The stripes of each cloth are woven to correspond to a proverb.
Impact of Colonialism
The encounter between Africa and Europe during the colonial era had far-reaching consequences for the African textile tradition. For instance, the introduction of synthetic dyes and European textiles led to the emergence of vibrant, colorful designs, such as the iconic Dutch wax prints that have come to be synonymous with African fashion, often with striking results.
One of the most well known African fabrics is Ankara, also known as the DUTCH WAX PRINT. Ankara was introduced to West Africa by the Dutch who learnt the art (Batik), during the colonization of Indonesia.
Although we know this to be an African fabric, it is neither made nor designed in Africa. The Dutch had full control of its production; their success was in re-designing it using African stories told by the shopkeepers and tradesmen, fables and cultures, making it into a print that became an unspoken language.
Africans proudly used it as a form of silent communication between tribes, regions and women, speaking through Art on subjects that were a taboo. The prints represented emotions and at the same time used to mark celebrations, rights of passage and other messages, creating a visual language that spread across Africa.
Realizing that authenticity plays a big part in African prints and textiles (after the failure of trying to replicate the method for the Asian market), the Dutch used African culture to bring the fabrics to life, making it resonate with the people in Sub Saharan Africa.
Contemporary African Textile Art
In the wake of colonialism, African artists sought to reclaim and revitalize their traditional techniques, while simultaneously engaging with the broader global art scene. This period saw a resurgence of interest in indigenous textile practices, such as the Bogolanfini of Mali, as artists sought to preserve and celebrate their cultural heritage.
At the same time, African textile artists began to experiment with new materials, techniques, and themes, often fusing their work with other art forms, such as painting, sculpture, and installation.
As Contemporary African Textile Art continues to evolve, a new generation of artists has emerged, each pushing the boundaries of what is possible within the medium.
In addition to traditional weaving, dyeing, and embroidery, today’s artists are also incorporating unconventional materials such as plastic, metal, and found objects into their work, challenging conventional notions of what textile art can be.
These contemporary artists demonstrate, Contemporary African Textile Art has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, as artists continue to experiment with new techniques, materials, and themes.
Notable Contemporary Artists
Among these artists are the likes of El Anatsui, Abdoulaye Konaté, Yinka Shonibare, Billie Zangewa, and Nnenna Okore, to name a few.
- El Anatsui, a Ghanaian artist based in Nigeria, has gained international acclaim for his monumental textile-like sculptures, which he creates using discarded aluminum bottle caps and copper wire.
- Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté is renowned for his large-scale textile installations, which he creates using dyed and woven fabric.
- Yinka Shonibare, a British-Nigerian artist, is best known for his use of Dutch wax prints in his sculptures, installations, and photographs.
- South African artist Billie Zangewa creates intricate, hand-stitched silk collages that depict scenes from her everyday life.
- Nigerian artist Nnenna Okore is known for her intricate, three-dimensional textile sculptures, which she creates using found and recycled materials, such as newspapers, ropes, and fabric.
Global Recognition and Appreciation
As Contemporary African Textile Art gains increasing recognition and appreciation, the works of African textile artists are being featured in prestigious exhibitions and galleries around the world.
The growing demand for Contemporary African Textile Art in the global art market has had both positive and negative implications. On the one hand, the increased visibility and appreciation of African textile art has provided artists with new opportunities and resources, enabling them to further develop their practice and reach new audiences.
Despite the challenges posed by the global art market, Contemporary African Textile Art continues to make a valuable contribution to the international art scene.
