Description
“Kenya Kanga Cloth”
Named after 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.
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.
