Kenya Kanga Cloth

The Kanga (Also spelled Khanga) is about 1 meter wide and 1.5 meter long piece of textile, which is used mainly in Kenya and Tanzania as garment, for carrying babies e.t.c. The Kanga is of cotton and printed using the silkscreen technique with a frame. There is also often a slogan of proverb printed on the textile. The Kanga is easy to fold, tie and wind.

The mji and the jima are teo features that usually give the kanga its local name and consequently its popularity. Mji occupies the most important area of kanga but save for its colours and art, its popularity may be overshadowed by the context of jina. The jina is usually printed in uppercase letters in colours that match the central motif and most likely on white background to i,prove its readability.

If the mji is made up of a distinguishable figure such as a fruit, an animal, a portrait, flower, a pattern, or any other object, the kanga takes its local name from the particular figure. If however, the mji has no conspicuous figure the local name "bata" is for a kanga that has a picture of a "duck" in the motif; "mkeka" has ma/carpet like pattern; "ndege" has a picture of a bird; "Kikulacho" has writing, "KIKULACHO KINGUONI MWAKO"; "mama nipe radhi" has a writing, "MAMA NIPE RADHI KUISHI NA WATU KAZI".

Kangas that come in dark blue colour are normally called "kanga za magharibu" (dusk kangas). There is a special design of kangas called "kisutu". It generally comes in red and black or blue and black colours. The red and black one is called "kisutu cha harusi" and is used in Zanzibar to wrap a bride on a wedding day. The blue and black version is more popular in Mombasa, Kenya.

Apart from its protective and decorative role, kanga is all about sending the message. It is the equivalent of the get well, greetings, or congratulations card in the western culture but in this case the message

goes a little bit beyond the normal meaning. For example, a fruit, a flower, a boat, or a bird could mean good upbringing or just the appreciation of beauty. On the other hand, a lion, a shark, or any such kind of dangerous animals could signal the sense of danger or clear warning.

Maximum 2 guests | Single Guest ZAR 650.00 | Additional Guest @ ZAR 100.00