East African textiles act as a tool for self-expression in conservative society

Many women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized people in eastern Africa have utilized khangas to give voice to notions which cannot be spoken aloud. Changing with the social climate of the region, the role of these textiles has transformed from communicating one’s societal status to communicating a sense of one’s cultural identity.  

Designed and sold in pairs, khangas are rectangular textiles that can be worn as skirts, headwraps, baby carriers, and more, often with the matched set worn together. Typically, their designs consist of a central motif and a line of text, both bordered by a repeating pattern. For example, the work shown below presents two pears as its central motif, with a border of stylized leaves. The phrase wafinyanzi hupikia vigae (roughly: The potter makes tiles) sits below the pears. Most khangas feature these three design details, but potential for variation is unlimited.  

Khangas came to prominence in the Swahili Coast, a region from Somalia south to Mozambique. In the 19th century, formerly enslaved women would wear khangas to demonstrate their status as free members of society. During the 20th century, the textiles were broadly used as gifts to celebrate life. At the time, Swahili was emerging as an identity, and the khanga became its marker, with its vibrant colors and quippy and historically significant messages. It was gifted often and worn by everyone, regardless of status. They are still worn and gifted today.

While the textile is a prominent fashion statement, khangas also act as a tool for subversive communication. The cloth can carefully convey what the wearer will not or cannot say aloud. “Shielded by the ambiguity of a short, poetic verse, women can subvert patriarchal norms and present their own perspectives, especially regarding matters of love and sex—not commonplace in a conservative, Muslim society,” Elyse Schaeffer wrote in the Narrative Wisdom and African Arts catalogue. Schaeffer is SLAM’s former research assistant for the department of the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.  

Pictured on the aforementioned Khanga (Pears: Wafinyanzi Hupikia Vigae), the text possibly alludes to two Swahili proverbs: Mfinyanzi hupika kwa vigae (The potter cooks in a broken pot) and Mfinyanzi hulia gaeni (A potter eats from a potsherd). It is possible that the khanga text implies a bride-to-be rebuffing accusations of promiscuity. The ambiguity of the phrase both “shields and empowers the wearer or gift giver to voice opinions on otherwise private matters,” according to Schaeffer.