Colourful African kangas
2009-11-19 13:19
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Culture
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Stone City - They shimmer in bright colours, have patterns in multiple hues and they are adorned with messages written in Swahili.
They are called kangas and are part of everyday life for the women of east Africa, particularly Kenya and Tanzania. Tradition-conscious women wear them as sarongs or as headscarves.
Some babies slumber in kanga carriers slung over their mother's back. Fashion-conscious young African women like to buy designer clothes cut from kangas. The colourful cloth with a message has long been more than just an accessory of an old-fashioned granny in a village.
"When I buy a kanga, I don't look at whether I like the pattern and the colours, rather at the kanga's message," said Tina Issa, a saleswoman at a boutique in Stone Town, a city on the island of Zanzibar, which is part of Tanzania. The kanga has to have the right message.
Many women among the coastal communities of Kenya and Tanzania where the culture is strongly influenced by Islam, are often seen on the street in flowing black robes. They accent their look by using a kanga as a headscarf. Or they send out subtle messages, Issa revealed. There seems to be a fitting message for every situation. You've just got to find the right kanga.
Kanga messages
In the labyrinth of narrow allies in Stone Town there are plenty of street vendors and small shops in which the colourful cloths are offered. Customers are measured and they haggle over price. The quality of the fabric as well as the kanga's message are checked.
"A friend of mine wore a special kanga in order to make clear to her boyfriend that she was expecting him to propose marriage," said Issa. Other messages can tell a family that a girl is faithful to her mate or a woman can signal a man that she has forgiven a mistake he made.
"Jaraha la moyo haliponi," meaning an aching heart never heals, reads a Swahili message on a bright orange kanga. A floral kanga with the message "Mungu akupe Baraka namie nifurahi," meaning if God blesses you I am happy, is suitable for any wedding or birthday celebration.
And if a women wears a kanga with the message "Nipende nione raha fanyie karaha," which means make me happy and I will be good to you, it signals that she wants to be swept off her feet.
Every kanga is unique. The prints are not exact so no two of the same pattern match perfectly, said Faith Koli, a Kenyan who dreams of making a living from her own fashion studio. Koli works as a bookkeeper, but also sews in her free time for girlfriends, combining African designs with western clothing styles.
Koli's favourites are kangas from Zanzibar. They are very light because it is so hot and humid there, she said. The brilliance of the colours are especially distinctive in the kangas that come from the island. But Issa said a tanga with the wrong message isn't much good.
- SAPA