Crossing trends and eras, woven, dyed and decorated loincloths are witnesses of centuries-old know-how linked to the history of the African continent.

Passionate and in love with the richness of the traditional fabrics, the creativity of the Afurakian¹ fashion artisans, two women decided to reclaim their extraordinary textile heritage by fetching the traditional fabrics from the artisans and weavers of the Continent, from East to West and North to South, allowing families who master this inherited know-how to live decently in their trades and thus export their sumptuous ancestral culture.

Their bet : Make the Bogolan, Shuka, Manjak loincloth, Kente, Faso Danfani, Nzabi, Shemma … appear on the catwalks, in wardrobes, on accessories and jewels, magnified by the genius of tailors, dressmakers, from the greatest fashion designers to neighborhood craftspeople, which you can find on our partner website : African Directory of African Dressmakers : List your business in the Directory

¹ Afurakian : endogenous origin of the term Africa.

A little bit of history…

In the Dogon tombs, dug into the cliffs of Bandiagara, archaeologists discovered the oldest fragments of African fabrics, dated between the eleventh and eighteenth centuries, plain or dyed indigo or composed of sewn strips forming a white checkered and dark indigo, corresponding to the same fabric that is still used today as cover-shroud to wrap the dead. It is an authentic African textile culture, manifesting well before the arrival of foreigners.

It is not easy to find out the origins of clothing production in Africa. History and archaeological discoveries bring us back to ancient Egypt. Traces of clothing and ornaments already well developed go back at least 2,000 years before Christ, and at Meroe, in northern Sudan with pieces of cotton cloth dating from the fifth century.

The goddess Neith is for weaving what the god Thot is for writing in ancient Egypt. Through Egyptian art, we have a full representation of what fashion was in the earliest times in Africa. Cotton fabrics had indeed succeeded to animal skins. Under the 12th dynasty, 2,000 years BC, which corresponds to the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, the Schenti and the Pech had already right of city.

Source and to learn more :

Courrier des Afriques :  http://www.courrierdesafriques.net/2015/06/afrique-vetements-et-parures-de-lantiquite-a-nos-jours

A little bit more history…

Mandé Charter of 1222

Charter dating from the 13th century, the first human rights declaration known in the world. Designed (without foreign influence) during the completion of the construction of the empire of Mali by Soundiata Keita. This charter is addressed to the “twelve parts of the world”. It has a universal vocation according to its authors. It contains seven words, which are so many headings of articles of the charter.

Also known as Donsolu Kalikan (Oath of Hunters), Dunya Makilikan (Injunction to the World), or more commonly Manden Kalikan (Mandé’s Oath)

Text rewritten by Youssouf Tata Cissé in “Soundjata, the Glory of Mali”, ed. Karthala, ARSAN, 1991.

Translation Michael Neocosmos

 

1.The hunters declare :

Every human life is a life. It is true that a life comes into existence before another life but no life is more ‘ancient’, more respectable than any other. In the same way no one life is superior to any other

2.The hunters declare :

As each life is a life, any wrong done unto a life requires reparation. Consequently, No one should gratuitously attack his neighbour, no one should wrong his neighbor, no one should torment his fellow man

3.The hunters declare :

That each person should watch over their neighbor. That each person should venerate their progenitors. That each person should educate their children as it should be done. That each person should provide to the needs of their family

4.The hunters declare :

That each person should watch over the country of their fathers. By country, or motherland, or ‘faso’ one must understand also people. For any country, any land which were to see people disappear would soon become nostalgic.

5.The hunters declare :

Hunger is not a good thing. There is nothing worse than this on this earth. As long as we hold the quiver and the bow hunger will no longer kill anyone in the Manden. If by chance hunger were to arrive, war will no longer destroy any village for the acquiring of captive. That is to say that no one will from now on place the bit in the mouth of his fellow man in order to sell him. Furthermore no one will be beaten and all the more so put to death because he is the son of a captive.

6.The hunters declare :

The essence of submission is today extinguished ‘from one wall to the other’ from one border to the other of the Manden. Raids are banned from this day onwards in the Manden. The torments born of these horrors have ended from this day onwards in the Manden what an ordeal this torment is ! Especially when the oppressed has no recourse the captive does not benefit from any consideration anywhere in the world.

7. People from the old days tell us :

‘Man as an individual made of flesh and bone of marrow and nerves of skin covered in hair

eats food and drink but his ‘soul’, his spirit lives on three things :

He must see what he wishes to see

He must say what he wishes to say

and do what he wishes to do

If one of these things were to miss from the human soul, it would suffer and would surely become sick. In consequence the hunters declare : each person from now on is free to dispose of his own person. Each person is free to act in the way he wishes. Each person disposes of the fruit of his labour from now on.

This is the oath of the Manden for the ears of the whole world.