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Very few ancient textiles have survived the adverse climactic conditions of Africa.

Although numerous linen fragments have been collected from Egypt pre-Christ, the picture for sub-Saharan Africa is less apparent and the earliest textile found in Niger dates to the second half of the 8th C AD.

Following this, the Igbo Ukwu cloth fragments have been dated to the 9th C and in the 11th C AD pieces found in burial caves in the Tellem cliffs in Mali have been attributed to the ancestors of the Dogon. Single-heddled vertical and horizontal ground looms were observed in production by the Portuguese when they arrived in Africa in the 15th C and Kuba cloths were discovered in Zaire in the 16th C.

The following have been identified as some of the more well-known tribal African textiles and they can be studied in further detail on separate pages.

• Adire, indigo cloth from the Yoruba of SW Nigeria 
• Andinkra, stamp printed cloth from the Asante of Ghana 
• Asafo, appliqued flags from the Fante of Ghana 
• Aso-Oke, woven strip cloth from the Yoruba of Nigeria 
• Bark cloth, painted from the Buganda of Uganda 
• Bogolan, mud cloth from the Bamana (Mande) of Mali 
• Dida, raffia cloth from the Dida of the Ivory Coast 
• Fila, dye-painted cloth from the Senufo of the Ivory Coast 
• Kaasa, woollen blanket from the Fulani of Niger Delta, Mali 
• Kente, woven appliqued cloth from the Asante and Ewe of Ghana 
• Kuba, Shoowa cloth from the Kuba of the DRC, (Zaire) 
• Ndop, resist dyed indigo cloth from the Bamileke of Cameroon

Apron skirt, hide, ostrich shell, Yei, Namibia

Textile Tunic(Bororo) 20th C Metropolitan museum, African textiles

African clothing can be a symbol of status, creativity and allegiance to tribal roots.

Traditionally, there are men's robes; some produced as symbols of prestige or even protection in battle, women's robes; wrap around cloths worn as skirts by men and women; body wrap blankets acting as coats or ceremonial tokens; loin cloths, aprons and any manner of headdress and adornment.

    A few examples...

• Agbada, robe of the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria 
• Bororo, tunic of the Fulani in Niger 
• Mabu, feathered Cape from the Bamileke of Cameroon 
• Ibhayi blanket body wrap from the Mfengu of South Africa

Prestige gown, Cameroon, cotton, wool, Metropolitan museum, 19th-20th C

Thembu women dress, South Africa, Ezakwantu

When a designer collaborates with a skilled craftsperson then all sorts of amazing ventures are realized. 

Below are just a select few who are absolutely making a difference... not just to textile design but also to community's welfare as well as keeping alive the skills of countless years of tradition thus ensuring continuity of a valuable African cultural and economic asset.

Aissa Dione, Senegal - ADT

Born in Senegal, lives in Dakar. Aissa Done works with interior and fashion designers all over the world who recognize how successfully she incorporates ancestral Mandjaque techniques with innovative and original interpretations of this craft.. creating truly modern woven fabrics for furnishings, furniture and fashion.

Aissa Dione

Aissa Dione

Aissa Dione, Dak'Art 18

In 1993, she formed her company named ADT (Aissa Dione Tissus) starting with just 3 master weavers. Incurring many challenges along the way she has survived to employ over 100 weavers who work with modified looms which can weave wide-width fabrics for the furnishing and upholstery business.

Having had to import cotton yarn from Turkey and Egypt through the last decade she actively engaged with the Senegalese government, encouraging them to revive the cotton industry, both growing and spinning. Technical schools are also being established to support the industry. 

Aissa Done - mother of Senegalese textiles

She has borrowed her geometrical patterns from various sources including the Kuba, Zaire and Mandjaque designs from Casamance, Guinea Bissau and Gambia.

Her sophisticated collections are made more contemporary by graphic repetition, bright hues and mixed yarns. In her fabric make-up she mixes cotton with raffia or silk and also uses plastics to produce strong fabrics for upholstery. Her overall aim is to revive traditional African woven textiles and assure their future while making sure industry survives.

This is a very modern co-operative, the merger of master Kente weavers and the suppliers of Tencel yarn to Ghana. 

Atmek and Eco Yarns, Design Africa

The fabrics are upholstery weight, a combination of silk, tencel and cotton.

Hana Getachew, Ethiopia - Bole Road Textiles 

Bole Road, Wollo gabi blanket

Having left Ethiopia at 3 years old, Hana Getachew returned as a young adult.

Feeling intensely inspired and connected to her heritage she set up Bole Road Textiles with the commercial/design side operating in Brooklyn NY and the artisan/production counterpart set up in Ethiopia. 

Bole Road, Heritage collection

Bole Road cushion

Bole Road Textiles Konso Inspiration

Designs and concepts based round the wealth of natural beauty and culture existing in Ethiopia are formulated by Hana and then digitally sent to Ethiopia for weaving into fabric.

Traditional motifs are used, re-coloured and re-spaced... successfully re-invented in a modern interpretation for today's contemporary market.

Gilbert 'Bobbo' Ahiagble, 1944-2012, Ghana

A ewe artist and master weaver, 'Bobbo' Ahiagble' perfected the craft of weaving Kente cloth while at the same time developing CIKW (Craft Institute of Kente Weaving). 

Master weaver, 'Bobbo' Ahiagble

Since 1975 he has combined developing his own art with weaving demonstrations outside Ghana,  travelling abroad and passionately promoting his craft. His masterful wrappers are contained in many collections over the world including the Smithsonian in Washington.

'Bobbo' Ahiagble, kente cloth

Over time he has developed unique skills and designs that have created his signature style of weaving-subtle combinations of weft hues with multicoloured warps.

He has also used secular motifs as well as traditional ones.

Chapuchi' Bobbo' Ahiagble

Chapuchi 'Bobbo' Ahiagble is one of the sons of Gilbert 'Bobbo' Ahiagble.

An artist in his own right he continues the heritage of his father, keeping the skills of weaving kente and ewe cloths alive and intact. He also lectures abroad and demonstrates at home in Aflao, Ghana where he endeavors to keep the legend of these beautiful cloths relevant to modern day Africa.

Chapuchi 'Bobbo' Ahiagble

For viewing Chapuchi 'Bobbo ' Ahiagble at the Smithsonian watch this video link  

https://vimeo.com/279153889

Tesss Atelier, Senegal

Formed by Mai Diop (aka Veronique Picart ) in 2001 together with Assane Diop who started a weaving workshop close by the studio. Together they have built this up as a business that remains small but true to its original inspiration.. committed to the preservation of keeping Manjak loincloth production alive in the modern era.

Without the beliefs attached to it and a desire by local communities to keep the traditions associated to its manufacture alive, this rich heritage of symbolism and historic significance would fall away.

Tesss manjak pattern

Bedspreads, tablecloths and special orders from this atelier have found their way into homes all over the world. Modern interpretations like this one below show traditional design motifs on a white ground.

Keeping it visual, fresh and illuminating is what Tesss does so well.

Boubacar Doumbia, Mali - Ndomo

Part of the revolutionary Groupe Bogolan Kasobane, an artist's collective formed in the 1970's who researched and explored the predominantly female art of fabric dyeing and weaving, founding member Boubacar Doumbia has become, today, a leading proponent of contemporary bogolan production in West Africa.

Bogolan cloths for Habitat, UK

Taking it back to its roots and honoring the craft of dyeing with natural plant-based dyes and hand-painted designs covered with mud straight from the Niger River, he has recently worked in collaboration with Habitat UK to create a fabulously graphic and urban-based motif range of textiles to be used in furnishing products. 

Boubacar/Habitat collaboration

Contemporary Bogolan cloth, Habitat

bedspread Habitat

Further to that and more far-reaching, Doumbia has developed a social enterprise in the village of Segou called Ndomo.

Here in this architecturally distinct environment he has set up a 10 year program for young males to learn and practice not only the technical skills to carry on the traditions of bogolan dyeing and printing but also the entrepreneurial skills to create businesses of their own.

Smaller widths of fabric are handwoven on site while wider cloths are developed on looms. The dyes used are earth, vegetables and indigo. The cotton is locally grown and the mud from the Niger has all the iron required in it to turn the dye black (3 coats for black and 2 for grey).

Atelier Ndomo, Segou

Ndomo is an example of a sustainable industry coupled with eye-catching, contemporary design.

Kofar Mata Dye Pit 

The Kofar Mata dye pit has existed in Nigeria since 1498 and still operates although only just over half of the 100-so pits are currently used. Pits are passed down from generation to generation and tightly managed... while the expertise and secrets of indigo dyeing of African textiles are closely guarded. 

Kofar-mata dye pits

In general fabrics are dyed in holes below the ground in solutions made from mixtures of water, ash and dried indigo twigs. Frequent dips of the cloth are required for particular depths of colour to be achieved.

Nike Davies Okundaye, Nigeria

Chief Nike Davies Okundaye

Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye was born in Kogi state, Nigeria in 1951 to a cultured family of musicians and skilled artisans. Her grandmother was particularly influential in nurturing Nike's interest in textiles and the art of dyeing, printing and weaving, specifically indigo and adire.

She spent a lot of her life in Osogbo, a major centre for art and culture where she embraced everything to do with Nigerian culture. She has formed 4 art centres and a large gallery. Now days, she lectures and speaks around the world and is as global a figure as they come, accepting and receiving many awards for her contribution to the arts.                                                                 

Wearable art next to a semi-representational painting

She loves to wear her textile art and cuts a dramatic and colourful figure with noticeable headdresses and jewelry adornment. 

Her own work is semi-abstract and semi-representational - full of underlying line drawing defining figures and compositions by areas of repetitive pattern, colour and geometric shapes.

Nike Okundaye, Blue Cloth, 1-54 London 2019

Here in the image above, Okundaye works hand in hand with Tola Ojuolope and Distill2710 on a project for the communal lounge of 1:54 Contemporary Art Fair, London... a beautiful array of Adire hanging cloths... Nigerian batik and Indigo dyed textiles representing the textile traditions of West Africa but re-interpreted in a contemporary manner by this pioneer artist.

Mai Diop 

'Evasion' kuba inspired cloth - Mai Diop

Mai Diop-Waxed stripweaves, paving stones

Mai Diop, the force behind Gallerie Tesss Atelier in Senegal is also motivated to be an originator and produce her own, personal, contemporary works which are dense in expression and execution. Woven strips of canvas are hand-dyed in baths of natural dyes. More muted in colour than her commercial cloths, they pay homage to many influences.. like kuba cloth or paving stones, flowers or stained glass; she takes inspiration anything around her.

Her signature treatment is to print soft wax over them creating a stiff wall-hanging that crackles and whose textures can be seen if held up to the light.