KANGA LOVE
I have been researching the historical, literary and cultural significance of the East African kanga cloth since I was in my early 20s. As a poet and Swahili scholar, I am fascinated by this "talking" textile and have pursued a wide range of projects to explore and celebrate the kanga cloth.
I have been researching the historical, literary and cultural significance of the East African kanga cloth since I was in my early 20s. As a poet and Swahili scholar, I am fascinated by this "talking" textile and have pursued a wide range of projects to explore and celebrate the kanga cloth.
The Kanga Book is a collaboration between Pernille Baerendtsen/Dunia ni Duara and Alessia Lombardo, inspired by a shared love for the kanga cloth, East Africa's most ubiquitous textile featuring Swahili proverbs and vibrant, colorful patterns. Our dream is to one day put together a book about the history and culture of kanga. In 2017, we curated an exhibit in Stone Town, Zanzibar celebrating the poetry of the kanga. And the three of us continue to share content about the kanga through panel discussions and via social media.
KANGA KIBAO — (TONS OF KANGA)
MARCH 2017 | ZANZIBAR
Kanga — one can never have enough. East Africa’s ubiquitous kanga cloth wraps itself around the milestones and every day moments that define Swahili life. The kanga, a vibrant square cloth bursting with unique patterns and a signature printed proverb, is the ultimate text message in motion. East Africa’s original ‘social media’, the kanga cloth worn in public by women broadcasts direct and sometimes taboo feelings and ideas that can not be spoken face to face.
That’s why most women on the Swahili coast have ‘kanga kibao’ -- tons of kanga in their cupboards -- given, received and exchanged to celebrate weddings, grieve funerals, and communicate the nuances of love, faith, friendship, fate, and family.
In partnership with Upendo Means Love and Jalada Mobile Literary Festival, The Kanga Book presents "Kanga Kibao" to feature and celebrate the unique literary significance of the ‘majina’ or ‘names’ appearing in bold text at the bottom of each square cloth. These sayings, ranging from proverbs and slogans from Qur’an and Bible, to children’s songs, political slogans and new pop music, are a living record of the values, beliefs, fears and obsessions permeating modern Swahili life. While Tanzania and Zanzibar continues to change, the kanga remains a steadfast cultural thread woven through the fabric of Swahili coastal life.
The exhibit design is inspired by the iconic image of the kanga cloth drying on the laundry line in the hot sun with their messages swaying in the wind. Rich and poor, old and young, mainland, inland and coast, nearly every Swahili woman owns and cares for kangas that serve multiple purposes in her life -- to cover her hair while praying, to wrap a newborn baby in her arms, to celebrate a bride’s new life, to grieve a person’s death -- there is a kanga for every reason and season.
The kanga IS the message and those at the market select their kangas carefully according to the theme and message. Kanga Kibao features kangas addressing major themes found in the kanga world such as love, faith, gossip and politics. Let’s trace these kanga back to our own stories. What do kangas hide or reveal about our collective values, fears, and desires? What do they tell us about the cultural, political, social, and cultural realities of life in Tanzania and Zanzibar? Now, think of a situation in your life. What would be the perfect kanga?
MARCH 2017 | ZANZIBAR
Kanga — one can never have enough. East Africa’s ubiquitous kanga cloth wraps itself around the milestones and every day moments that define Swahili life. The kanga, a vibrant square cloth bursting with unique patterns and a signature printed proverb, is the ultimate text message in motion. East Africa’s original ‘social media’, the kanga cloth worn in public by women broadcasts direct and sometimes taboo feelings and ideas that can not be spoken face to face.
That’s why most women on the Swahili coast have ‘kanga kibao’ -- tons of kanga in their cupboards -- given, received and exchanged to celebrate weddings, grieve funerals, and communicate the nuances of love, faith, friendship, fate, and family.
In partnership with Upendo Means Love and Jalada Mobile Literary Festival, The Kanga Book presents "Kanga Kibao" to feature and celebrate the unique literary significance of the ‘majina’ or ‘names’ appearing in bold text at the bottom of each square cloth. These sayings, ranging from proverbs and slogans from Qur’an and Bible, to children’s songs, political slogans and new pop music, are a living record of the values, beliefs, fears and obsessions permeating modern Swahili life. While Tanzania and Zanzibar continues to change, the kanga remains a steadfast cultural thread woven through the fabric of Swahili coastal life.
The exhibit design is inspired by the iconic image of the kanga cloth drying on the laundry line in the hot sun with their messages swaying in the wind. Rich and poor, old and young, mainland, inland and coast, nearly every Swahili woman owns and cares for kangas that serve multiple purposes in her life -- to cover her hair while praying, to wrap a newborn baby in her arms, to celebrate a bride’s new life, to grieve a person’s death -- there is a kanga for every reason and season.
The kanga IS the message and those at the market select their kangas carefully according to the theme and message. Kanga Kibao features kangas addressing major themes found in the kanga world such as love, faith, gossip and politics. Let’s trace these kanga back to our own stories. What do kangas hide or reveal about our collective values, fears, and desires? What do they tell us about the cultural, political, social, and cultural realities of life in Tanzania and Zanzibar? Now, think of a situation in your life. What would be the perfect kanga?
