Textiles from
53 Destinations in Africa and Offshore Islands.
by
Muguette Goufrani
It's
amazing! For the past five years, the most popular
section on our two travel business web sites,
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 edition 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.
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.
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.
Sites
to See! Africa
Direct: http://africadirect.com/products2.php?category=9&subcategory=30
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
Textile
Information from the Web
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
South
Africa's Fashion
Week
Sandton
Convention Center, July
Fashion
Boutiques of Cape Town
Capsule
on a variety of great little shops
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