Project on Contemporary Clothing in Africa - New Khanga and Kitenge (Ankara) Textiles in the MAA Collection
A set of colorful, vibrant fabrics have arrived to the Museum from Africa. These are materials typically used for making contemporary African clothing. While the "kitenge" or "ankara" fabrics are used on the whole continent, the so-called "khanga" fabrics are tied to the Swahili culture and are recognizable by their printed messages of a religious, political, or emotional-romantic nature, which serve as a kind of popular women’s social medium for communicating with relatives, friends, neighbors, etc.
The fabrics were procured for the museum's textile collection as part of the "Interpretation of Kang and Kitenge Fabrics" project, which is funded by the Headley Trust (UK) with the support of the Balkan Museum Network. The goal of this project, whose author is Aleksandra Prodanović Bojović, curator of the museum's textile collection, is to use the purchased fabrics to develop new museum programs on the topic of contemporary clothing in Africa.
Special thanks to associates Rose Thumbi, Mirjana Čekanović, Kristina Hrkač, Sasa Tomašević and Boško Končarević who helped us with the acquisition of the fabrics!
Khanga fabrics
Kitenge fabrics
Rose Thumbi with Khanga fabrics