SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

African Textiles Today

African textiles are patterned with stories that range far beyond the time of the creation or the lifetime of their creator. In Africa, cloth is used to commemorate important events, people or political struggles that in other parts of the world might be recorded in writing, or marked by a plaque or monument.

"African Textiles Today" is a beautifully illustrated book that deciphers these hidden stories, whilst also revealing the relevance of African textiles today, exploring how the dynamic traditions in African cloth-making have provided inspiration for the continent’s foremost contemporary artists and photographers. Africa’s long engagement with the peoples of the Mediterranean and the islands of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans provides a story of change and continuity, showing how ideas, techniques, materials and markets have adapted and flourished.

The trade in cloth both within African and outside, dating back centuries, has helped to raise the profile of African textiles internationally. This new work showcases some of the world’s finest examples of textile arts and explores the linkages between textiles, art, and culture in Africa.

Respondents: Leo Asemota, artist; Bella Ikpasaja, Zeitgeist Africa; and Elvira Dyangani Ose, Curator of African Art, Tate Modern. Chair: Dr Atta Kwami, Visiting Scholar, Wolfson College, Cambridge

For Your Interest:

Ahead of this event, you may want to visit the complimentary British Museum exhibition in the Africa Galleries, "Social Fabric: African Textiles Today from Southern and Eastern Africa".

On Friday 22nd March, there will be a Gallery Talk, from 1:15 to 2pm, led by Dr Elsbeth Court, starting in Room 25 of the Sainsbury African Gallery. Visitors are welcome to bring their own examples of Kanga to be shared at the end of the talk.