Symbolism and Conservation of Indigenous African Textiles for Museums

Chapter 13 Symbolism and Conservation of Indigenous African Textiles for Museums Raphael Kanyire Seidu, Raphael Kanyire Seidu School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, HongKongSearch for more papers by this authorEbenezer Kofi Howard, Ebenezer Kofi Howard Department of Industrial Art, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaSearch for more papers by this authorEdward Apau, Edward Apau Department of Visual and Industrial Art, Faculty of Built Environment and Applied Art, Sunyani Technical University, Sunyani, GhanaSearch for more papers by this authorBenjamin Eghan, Benjamin Eghan Department of Industrial Art, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaSearch for more papers by this author Raphael Kanyire Seidu, Raphael Kanyire Seidu School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, HongKongSearch for more papers by this authorEbenezer Kofi Howard, Ebenezer Kofi Howard Department of Industrial Art, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaSearch for more papers by this authorEdward Apau, Edward Apau Department of Visual and Industrial Art, Faculty of Built Environment and Applied Art, Sunyani Technical University, Sunyani, GhanaSearch for more papers by this authorBenjamin Eghan, Benjamin Eghan Department of Industrial Art, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaSearch for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):Seiko Jose, Seiko JoseSearch for more papers by this authorSabu Thomas, Sabu ThomasSearch for more papers by this authorPintu Pandit, Pintu PanditSearch for more papers by this authorRitu Pandey, Ritu PandeySearch for more papers by this authorVandana Gupta, Vandana GuptaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 15 December 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119983903.ch13 AboutPDFPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShareShare a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary Indigenous textiles from Africa are iconic products that eulogies the culture and history of the people. These textiles, made of different techniques, are collected and exhibited in museums across the globe to promote and conserve the symbolism, craftsmanship, uniqueness, and identity of African tradition for sustainability. This chapter identifies and discusses indigenous African textiles with specific reference to aesthetics, techniques, and symbolism for museum exhibition. African ethnic patterns come in unique varieties and the chapter would specifically look at the Kuba raffia cloth (D.R. Congo), Akwete cloth (Igbo, Nigeria), Ukara cloth (Igbo, Nigeria), Aso Oke fabric (Yoruba, Nigeria), Adire cloth (Yoruba, Nigeria), Fugu/Smock weaves (Northern Ghana), Kente cloth (Asante, Ghana), Adinkra cloth (Asante, Ghana), Kete cloth (Ewe, Ghana), Bark cloth (Ganda/Buganda, Uganda), Berber cloth (Morocco), Mud cloth (Bambara, Mali), Kanga (Tanzania), Shweshwe (South Africa), Shuka cloth (Kenya and Tanzania) and Ankara or African Wax Prints (West Africa) or Kitenge (East Africa). Further details on museums in Africa especially, and not limited to their challenges, organization and prospects, would also be dealt with. Handbook of Museum Textiles RelatedInformation