Patterns, colours and enjoyment

I wanted to tell you more about the African wax fabric exhibition I went to see at the Musee de l’Homme in Paris. I loved it, the textiles are vibrant with intriguing patterns, each with significance. You might know these fabrics under a different name, maybe Ankara Fabric, or Dutch Wax Cloth. 

I had not previously thought much about the origins of African wax fabrics. I always assumed it was a traditional type of fabric dating back a long time into African history. Of course, African history is the history of many countries, and I only have a superficial knowledge and or understanding of much of it. I listened to a fair few episodes of the excellent podcast “It is a continent”, which covers key moments of African history, both local and more regional. Anyway, I want to share the joy I felt when exploring the exhibition, and the tactile experience of the few textiles that could be touched. It was magnificent. For the history of these textiles, I am linking to a V&A museum blog post from 2021, which is more eloquent and detailed than I have time to be. I was very keen to buy the book that comes with so many special exhibitions, alas there wasn’t one, as I discovered upon leaving. I felt unusually disappointed. As a special treat, I bought a very well-made lined tote bag instead. Not that I needed another tote! I didn’t take many photos of the labels because I was going to buy the book. So my memory of the information (which was very well presented) is at best patchy. The exhibition took the visitor back in time, to learn about the origins of these iconic fabrics. The short summary is that African wax textiles have their origins in colonialism. These textiles were inspired by Indonesian batik prints and are a consequence of Dutch merchants in the 19th century trying to replicate these industrially (ie cheaply) for the Asian market. These vibrant cotton fabrics became popular in West Africa, after West African soldiers serving in the Dutch army brought them to their home countries. I learned about the production and design, and the significance of the colourful motifs. I learned about other types of African textiles, for example Kente cloth, and barkcloth, and the fibres used to create them, for example raffia, cotton and tree bark. I wish I had known there was no exhibition book! Then I could have taken photographs of the exhibit labels and tell you more. Ah well. Since it has been ages since I last posted, I’ll just let the photographs speak for themselves.  

I have several large pieces of African wax fabric which I brought home from Malawi. I must finally make something. Thing is, I don’t have a suitable pattern that would allow the large motifs to shine. I have a few dress patterns but they all have pieced bodices, which would interrupt the motifs. A nice problem to have though, I’ll spend a few hours searching the internet, just when I am done here, and after tidying. 

I’ll share more news soon! Thanks for visiting 😊