The kanga: East Africa's cultural jewel

The origin of the kanga can be traced back to coastal East Africa in the mid-19th Century. It is believed that some stylish women in Zanzibar had the idea of buying printed kerchiefs in lengths of six. This was later modified into pairs. They were sewn together into single designs called 'Leso' after the square kerchiefs that had originally been brought to Africa by Portuguese traders.

Kangas are known for their brightly colored designs which depict the daily livelihoods of the people. The designs vary from abstract patterns to illustration designs of birds and flowers. Currently, the popular kanga can be found in various African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Comoros Islands, Mozambique and Eastern DRC just to mention a few.

The word 'kanga' originated among buyers of the new designs who needed a way to identify the cloth and chose the Swahili word for the guinea fowl, a bird with magnificent spotty plumage similar to the earliest kanga designs.

Kangas are known, not only for their elegant designs and bright colors, but also for the sayings and proverbs imprinted on them. In the early part of this century, Swahili sayings were incorporated into kanga designs. The proverb in one of the kangas pictured here translates as "The knowledge of a parent exceeds degrees".

The idea of including proverbs or "jina" and "ujumbe" – or messages in Swahili – is believed to have originated from famous Mombasa trader Kaderdina Hajee Essak, known also as Abdulla. His designs are distinguished by the mark‚ K.H.E. ‘Mali ya Abdulla’. The scripts were initially in Arabic, before they were adapted to Roman letters.

Kangas are often given as gifts to women or among women. The cloth serves as symbolic gifts during marriage ceremonies in Kenya and Tanzania. Kangas are multi-purpose: men wear them and babies are wrapped in them.

The kanga has become a means of asserting Swahili culture, mobilizing people for social and political causes through the messages they bear. The cloth that dates back to pre-colonial times, is a visible part of contemporary East Africa.

Kangas continue to epitomise the rich Swahili culture, bearing the region’s history and traditions. The cloth serves as a cultural bridge between the traditional and contemporary fashion. Designers are using the fabric as the basis of their work, keeping the kanga alive and relevant in wardrobes across the world, including that of US super star Beyonce.