Famed fashion designer, Marc Jacobs once said, “clothing is a form of self-expression - there are hints about who you are in what you wear” (goodreads.com). This quote is an important example of how what you wear is a very significant type of self-expression and also relevant to the gist of what textile traditions in Africa represent. The textiles included different African civilizations usually have unique and profound stories attached to them. Intertwined with beautiful colors, symbols and intricate techniques used to apply these elements, lies “important events, people or political struggles that in other parts of the world might be recorded in writing, or marked by a plaque or monument” (royalafricansociety.org).
Moreover, in African culture,
…show more content…
For example, in Nigeria, it is here you’d find textiles such as Aso-Oke (ah-SHAW-okay), a woven strip cloth that is the “traditional wear of the Yoruba’s (the tribe of the southwest people in Nigeria, Africa). Aso-Oke is a cloth that is worn on special occasions by the Yoruba's usually for chieftaincy, festivals, engagement, naming ceremony and other important events” (digest.bellafricana.com).
Along with Aso-Oke, there is also the indigo dyed cloth called Adire, which is made by Yoruba women. According to the book titled, African Textiles by Christopher Spring, he states, “although many cloths are woven from uncolored natural fibers, the practice of dyeing both the yarn and the completed textile is widespread throughout Africa” (1989:5). Spring continues by adding, “the term Adire is a name given by the Yoruba to the cloths in which they produce by using the technique of resist dyeing, which is widely popular in South Western Nigeria”
…show more content…
Toerien, it is stated that mud cloth native to Bamana people of Mali is frequently “referred to as Bògòlanfini or bokolanfini. The word “bogolan” means something made by using mud, while “fini” means cloth (as quoted in Toerien, 1997). Usually, women performed the painting process of mud cloth. According to Toerien, “young women were taught by their mothers during a long-term apprenticeship. As with most West-African textile production, all the different activities in the making of mud cloth (spinning, weaving and decoration) have always been clearly gender defined”
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. No. 3 (1965): 524-540. http://www.jstor.org/stable/612097 (accessed December 1, 2013).
Mazrui, Ali A. "The Re-Invention of Africa: Edward Said, V. Y. Mudimbe, and Beyond." Research in African Literatures 36, no. 3 (Autumn 2005): 68-82.
Africanisms in America are a highly surveyed topic for the black community. Joseph E. Holloway describes Africanisms as “those elements of culture found in the New World that are traceable to an African origin” (Holloway 2). I believe, that africanisms are the traditions and cultural behaviors of African Americans that resemble the some of the same traditions and cultures in Africa. Which makes you ponder about what current elements does our culture use that ties back to Africa. Which in fact there are several africanisms that still exist. African Americans have retained an essence of Africa in their speech, hair care, clothing, preparation of foods, and music by over centuries of separation from the Dark Continent.
Achebe opens his lecture, "An Image of Africa," with the story of a student who sent him a letter saying how he was "particularly happy to learn about the customs and superstitions of an African tribe," not realizing that "the life of his own tribesmen in Yonkers, New York, is full of odd customs and superstitions" as well (1784). Western thou...
Angeles, Los. (2009). African arts. Volume 28. Published by African Studies Center, University of California.
The preceding essay is just a synopsis of how it functioned for African’s in certain regions
There is no art, music, and literature like here in sub-Saharan Africa. What is important to Westerners, such as the artist, label, and static-like wall hanging, means nothing to us. African art is living, spiritual, and meant to go back to the Earth once the soul of the item has run out. As the Bamana of Mali say, the art are “things that can be looked at without limit”. Our artwork has changed, emerged, and survived eras of turmoil and inversely, hope. I have found passing through the global gateway into Africa has made me appreciate this culture more, and appealed to me on a level that made me choose being a part of it.
Toyin, Falola. “The Power of African Cultures.” Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom: University of Rochester Press, 2003. Print
middle of paper ... ... ’s depictions of both traditional and modern beliefs in varying degrees illustrate the importance of both in contemporary Nigerian culture, as well as the greater Africa as a whole, and how both are intertwined and cannot exist without the other. In effect, she skillfully subverts stereotypes or single perceptions of Africa as backward and traditional, proving instead, the multifaceted culture of Africa. She further illustrates that neither traditional African nor western culture is necessarily detrimental. It is the stark contrast of the fundamental cultures that inevitably leads to clashes and disagreements.
Ever since their invention many centuries ago, clothes have been used as a way of communicating. The message communicated relies on a number of factors including the social background of both the communicator and the receiver, and the context in which the message is communicated. Although at times the exact message or symbolism one is trying to portray may not be clear, it is evident that clothing has long been embraced as one of the best ways to project one’s desired personal image to those around them.
It is essential in representing the strong african heritage and it 's importance can be seen in many aspects of culture (Gaines 1).
Bohannan, Paul, and Philip Curtin. Africa & Africans . Long Grove: Waveland Press, Inc. , 1995.
Weaving is a common thread among cultures around the world. Weaving is a way of producing cloth or textile. Today we have machines that weave large-scale textiles at cheap prices. Production of cloth by hand is rarely engaged in today’s Westernized societies. Not many people are thinking about how the fibers are actually constructed to make their clothes. However, in other cultures across the world the tradition of weaving still exists. By comparing three cultures that continue weaving as a part of their tradition we can see similarities and the differences between them. The reasons that each culture still weaves vary, as do the methods and materials. The desired characteristics of the cloth also vary around the world as each culture values different aesthetics.
To begin with, I shall look at what fashion is; it is a currently popular style or practice involving clothing, footwear or accessories. It mostly refers to the current trends in looks and dressing style of a person (Cumming 234). In most cases, fashion is confusedly related to costumes; when a person talks of fashion they are seen to mean fashion in terms of textile. Fashion is seen to originate from the Western world and it is copied by other places. In this paper, we shall look at how fashion affects lifestyles and the group of people who are affected most. The paper further investigates how media is used to transmit fashion from one region to the other. Although it has been seen to affect people’s lives many people have different perspectives on fashion and dressing.
South Africa has deep historical roots which influences our fashion. Fashion is how we express ourselves and is a symbol of our heritage. The South African fashion world is influenced by our history and I think in today’s world that overpowers the old European and American fashion ideas. South Africa has received major support from governing bodies in terms of growing its own fashion and textile industries (Isaacs, 2016).