2.08.2011

Kanga Fabric

I have a few friends that have lived or do live in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  They always bring back these amazingly beautiful, patterned fabrics.  They're called Kangas. Love them.  You can make dresses, head wraps, blankets, upholstery . . skies the limit really.  I love that they are also used as a way to show political affiliations.  I have one with Obama on it.







"The Kanga, which come from the old Bantu (kiswahili) verb ku-kanga to wrap pr close, is a colorful garment similar to kitenge, worn by women and occasionally by men throughout Eastern Africa. It is a piece of printed cotton fabric, about 1.5m by 1m, often with a border along all four sides (called pindo in Swahili), and a central part (mji) which differs in design from the boarders. Khangas are usually very colorful"

-wiki


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