Section II - Displaying Our Politics
Kingly Competition, Kuba Cloth from DRC
By Fath'Ma Shabani
This cloth takes its name from the Kuba kingdom in the Republique Democratique du Congo in Central Africa. Crossed by the Equator, the RDC benefits from an equatorial and tropical climate that presents various agricultural benefits. The cloth is produced from the raffia fibers obtained from raffia palm tree. The fibers were transformed into strands and colored with natural dyes. Both men and women were involved in the production of Kuba clothes. Men wove the fibers on a loom while women dyed the cloths and applied the designers. They used a number of decorative methods including embroidery, appliques, or patchwork (Davenport, 2). Kuba cloths are highly regarded for complex geometrical shapes (QQC art Gallery, 2). They serve as an archive as well because they are strongly associated with the political and cultural organization of the kingdom. Each new King commissioned a special design of the Kuba cloth to represent his reign. This created a sense of competition between kings because the new king aspired to do better than his predecessor and the successor aspired to do even better (Davenport,4). The Kuba clothes are still produced in the DRC but with less creativity. They are no longer the emblem of a king; today they are pieces of decoration (Davenport, 4).
Threads of State
By Joseph Mullen
Threads of State explores the intersection of post-colonial African politics and cloth by examining a variety of textiles depicting African leaders and politicians. The historical context in which a cloth is created and how it is used can be an archive of political debates, struggles and successes.
Inspired by Saint George slaying the dragon, this textile depicts the first President of independent Guinea, Ahmed Sekou Toure, slaying a dragon dubbed “colonialism”. This textile was created just after the 1958 independence referendum that gave Guinea independence from France.
This 2007 textile commemorates the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence from Britain in 1957. It depicts the “Big Six” of Ghana: Kwame Nkrumah (Prime Minister of Ghana and first president of Ghana), Edward Akufo-Addo (Ghana Supreme Court Chief Justice), and Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, and William Ofori Atta (four founding members of the United Gold Coast Convention, Ghana’s independence political party).
This textile from 1966 wishes good luck to President Hastings Banda and commemorates the official independence of Malawi from Britain on July 6th, 1966. The textile also features a symbol of Malawi (the tambala rooster). The textile glorifies Banda, who would go on to be a dictator in an authoritarian one-party state for 27 years.
Manufactured by Nkosi, a South African textile firm, this commemorative cloth celebrates the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) as the first post-apartheid government of South Africa. Features campaign promises of “jobs, peace and freedom” and the ANC logo.
DUAFE: Scarves and the Struggle for Salvation in Nigeria
By Laurence Minter
Duafe (wooden comb) is the name associated with the West African Adinkra symbol for beauty and desirable feminine qualities. As a fitting name in description of this piece, headscarves have been utilized with versatility among African women for cultural, religious, ceremonial, and everyday functions. This particular silk piece is garnished with the popular motif “Freedom 1960” commemorating Nigeria’s Independence from the United Kingdom on October 1, 1960. Some key women in this feminist fight and movements leading up to Nigerian Independence have been Jaiyeola Aduke Alakija, Oloori Kofoworola "Kofo" Aina Ademola, and Dr. Laraba Gloria Shoda. The yellow and green wooden combs invite us into the distinctive struggle for liberation sought out by women despite the country’s newfound freedom. As part of a boarder collection of celebratory headscarves collected from Nigeria during the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, this piece accentuates the importance of both feminist issues and advances.
Reappropriation and Independence
By Richard Green
These are headdresses prepared for the celebration of Nigerian independence from Britain in 1960. They are likely made from a material that is gentle on Afro hair, such as satin, and assert political, cultural, and religious identities. The inclusion of the Seal of Solomon is a reappropriation of the British use of the symbol on currency in West Africa and on the colonial flag created by Frederick D. Lugard, the architect of and first governor general of the amalgamated Nigeria in 1914. The seal is also associated with Islam and British use of it reflected their support of Muslim leaders, especially in northern Nigeria. British colonial policy, indirect rule, relied on indigenous political institutions and office holders to maintain colonial hegemony. Even with the departure of the British, the Seal of Solomon in the design of these scarves suggests the continued importance of Islam and Muslim communities in an independent Nigeria. Each headdress, like a key to a map, provides clues to different aspects of Nigeria’s history, culture, geography and covers the wearer’s head with pronouncements of their freedom. All in all, independence for Nigeria was more than a reclamation of land—it was also an assertion that they would have more self-determination when it came to cultural practices.
Intersectional Design: Telfar Clemens
By Estefania Perez
Telfar Clemens is a Liberian American designer. Based in New York City, Clemens established the company in 2005; the company remains 100% Black owned and independent. TELFAR unisex clothing line. Clemens most well-known for his vegan leather shopping bags, launched in 2014, and known in Brooklyn as “the Bushwick Birkin.” TELFAR’s slogan is “Not for you, for everyone,” speaks to Clemens’ mission to make high fashion accessible. The logo, Clemens’ initials reimagined, has become an iconic marker and its incorporation in the tees unifies the three selected pieces. Together, these items tell the story of Black entrepreneurship in the United States. Despite the franchise’s growth, Clemens remains true to his mission of gender-neutral and accessibility.
