Textile, print on yellow background, President of Guinea Slaying Colonialism

Collection ID:

CF+TC #2015.02.021

Date:

1961

Background:

Acquired in 1961. The Republic of Guinea became independent in 1958, and the first president was Sekou Toure. The bulk of the Paul and Doris Ward Collection of Nigerian textiles were acquired by the donors during multiple trips to Nigeria between 1958 and 1963. Some items were gifts; others were purchased. A few were later gifts from Nigerian students while Dr. Paul Ward was a professor of African studies at SUNY Albany. All of the adire was from the then Western region, fabricated by the ethnic Yoruba speaking populace, and collected from Lagos, Ibadan, Ife, and Abeokuta. Other material was collected from the then Eastern Region from ethnic Igbo speaking people, probably from Enugu, Port Harcourt, and Aba (to the best of the donors' memories). The man's handwoven agbada (outer garment), buba (blouse) and sokotos (trousers) were acquired in summer of 1963 from Ibadan in the Western region. Dates listed are the dates the donors acquired the items; some dates are approximate.