Kanga (garment)

A simplified illustration of a kanga. (1) pindo; (2) mji; (3) jina. The jina of this kanga is Bahati ni upepo sasa upo kwangu, which can be translated as "Luck is like the (blowing of the) wind, now it is on my side"

The kanga (sometimes khanga, meaning "guinea hen" in Kiswahili, for its brilliant colors) is a colourful garment similar to kitenge, worn by women and occasionally by men throughout Eastern Africa. It is a piece of printed cotton fabric, about 1,5m by 1m, often with a border along all four sides (called pindo in Kiswahili, the East African lingua franca), and a central part (mji) which differs in design from the borders. Kangas are usually very colorful.

Origins

Kangas drying on a line in Paje, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Kangas were inspired on Portuguese traders' "lenço" (handkerchief) which is still the name Kangas are sometimes referred to in East Africa. The kanga was in the past confined to coastal communities (e.g. Zanzibar). Nowadays it is worn throughout Tanzania and other parts of East Africa.

Communication vehicle

One of the longer edges of the mji features a strip which contains a message in Swahili, or less commonly in Arabic or Comorian. This message is called the jina (literally 'name') of the kanga. Messages are often in the form of riddles or proverbs. Some examples:

• Wema hauozi — Kindness is never wasted
• Kawia ufike — Better late than never
• Riziki Ya Mtu Hupangwa Na Mungu — One's fortunes are planned by God
• Mimi Na Wangu Wewe Na Wako Chuki Ya Nini — I have mine and you have yours -- why the fuss?
• Sisi Sote Abiria Dereva Ni Mungu — In this world we are all passengers, God is the driver
• Fimbo La Mnyonge Halina Nguvu — Might is right
• Liya Na Tabia Yako Usilaumu Wenzako — Do not blame others for problems you have created yourself
• Naogopa Simba Na Meno Yake, Siogopi Mtu Kwa Maneno Yake — I fear the lion for its jaws, I do not fear man for his words

See also

• Sarong
• Lungi

External links

• Kanga pictures
• Kanga writings

References and notes

• Beck, Rose-Marie (2001) 'Ambiguous signs: the role of the 'kanga' as a medium of communication', Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere, 68, 157-169.
• Hongoke, Christine J. (1993) The effects of Khanga inscription as a communication vehicle in Tanzania, Research report, 19. Dar es Salaam: Women's Research and Documentation Project.
• Linnebuhr, E. (1992) 'Kanga: popular cloths with messages', in Werner Graebner (ed.) Sokomoko: Popular Culture in East Africa (Matatu vol. 9). Rodopi, 81-90.
• Parkin, David (2004) 'Textile as commodity, dress as text: Swahili kanga and women's statements', in Ruth Barnes (ed.) Textiles in Indian Ocean Societies. London/New York: Routledge, 47-67.
• Yahya-Othman, Saida (1997) 'If the cap fits: 'kanga' names and women's voice in Swahili society', Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere, 51, 135-149.