Textiles
from 53 African Destinations
by Muguette
Goufrani
It's
amazing! For the past three years, the most popular
section on this web site, according to Webtrends,
which charts our page views day by day, is Africa
Travel Fashions. Since Africa Travel Magazine's
editors believe in giving readers what they want,
each new editiion of our printed magazine contains
additional pages featuring the colorful clothing,
designers and fabrics of Africa,. In addition,
there are visitors tips on what and where to buy
Two years ago at the huge Merkato Market (the size
of several football fields) and other unique spots
in Addis Ababa, we were in Shoppers' Heaven. The
prices were exceptional with our exchange rate and
the variety of items was endless.
We
would need a whole web site or catalog just to
cover fashions, wearable art, fabrics and shopping
venues in Ethiopia, let alone what I've already
experienced in Togo, Gabon, Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco,
Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and various
other destinations we've visited. We're now
considering a special edition of our magazine
devoted entirely to African travel fashions with a
gallery of color photos.
Speaking of Ethiopian
Design, attractive, multicolor scarves and
shawls are very popular with visitors. I bought
several, one to match each of 3 separate outfits.
Such an array to chose from, and they take up so
little weight and space in your suitcase. The photo
(right) by Robert Eilets of New York, was taken at
Lake Tana. We visited a busy and bountiful outdoor
market there at Bahar Dar, a lakeside resort that
is sure to become a major tourism attraction of the
future thanks to its historic setting and the
addition of an attractive new resort that was
nearing completion at the time of our visit in
February 2000. details
Ghana's
Weavers of Dreams
When myself and the
Editor of Africa Travel Magazine, visited historic
Kumasi with our guide from Sagrenti Tours of Accra,
Ghana, we made several trips to the weavers village
which is located nearby. As in the big city
markets, were overwhelmed by the wide variety of
Kente cloth items available. Be prepared to bargain
- it's part of the scene. The caps, shirts and
other goods we bargained for have since proven to
be of excellent quality - they never seem to wear
out. The question that arises most often when other
North Americans see us wearing our African duds is
-"What is Kente cloth?"
What
is Kente Cloth?
Basically, it's an
Asante ceremonial cloth that is hand-woven on a
horizontal treadle loom. The looms we saw at the
village near Kumasi were out in the open air,
although in a grassy, shaded area. Cloth strips,
approximately 4 inches wide are sewn together into
larger bolts. Of many colors, sizes and designs,
Kente cloth items, long scarfs in particular, are
worn throughout Ghana and its neighboring
countries, during most social and religious
occasions. The name comes from the word 'kenten',
which means basket. We saw virtually every possible
color and pattern of kente cloth during the
day-long Durbar ceremony at Koforidua village near
Accra. According to Ghanaians, kente depicts the
area's history and philosophy, its ethics, oral
literature, moral values, social and religious
concepts. Back
to Africa
Fashion Upbeat Page
Textile Information from the Web
Yahoo Top 20 search
Adire
African textiles gallery:
variety of styles. Some African textiles such as
adinkra, kente and bogolan are becoming
increasingly well known. www.adire.clara.net/
Social
Fabric:
Exploring the Kate Kent Collection of African
Textiles. www.du.edu/duma/africloth/
Sub-Saharan
African Textiles.
from MARLA MALLETT www.marlamallett.com/african.htm
Sites to
See! Africa Direct:
http://africadirect.com/products2.php?category=9&subcategory=30
|