Jambo!

 The cold winter is here. As we start taking our down jackets and winter scarves out of our closets, some of us wished of, at least once, going away to a warm country and wearing lighter clothes. I myself lived in Uganda for a long time and I am still unadjusted to the cold and not always happy about Korea's winter, which does not get any warmer however much clothes I put on.

 In this column, I'd like to introduce to you what the people of the warm country of Africa enjoy wearing. Because there are many different tribes in the big continent of Africa, there are about 2,000 languages and a wide variety of traditional culture and clothing as well. Unlike Western style clothes, jeans or silk that flew in from the West, clothes made with indigenous African materials are very colorful and diverse. One can easily see clothes inspired by traditional African clothing on the runways of Paris, the world's fashion capital. Let's take a look at three main traditional African clothing in this edition!

 In the language used by the Bambara of Mali, West Africa, Bògòlanfini means 'mud cloth'. The word is a composite of 'Bògò' meaning 'earth' or 'mud', 'lan' meaning 'with' or 'by means of' and 'fini' meaning 'cloth'. In other words, Bògòlanfini refers to traditional cloth and clothing traditionally dyed with fermented mud. It represents the identity of Mali culture.

 Traditionally, in making Bògòlanfini, men weave the cloth and women dye it. The cloth woven using a loom is dyed yellow using n'gallama, a dye made with the leaves of African birch tree. The yellow cloth is then sun-dried and painted with designs using mud collected from riverbeds which has been fermented for a year. When designs that tell the stories of the people of Mali are drawn, this special cloth that will be used to make Bògòlanfini is complete. 

 The mud that is used to draw designs and patterns contain a high iron content. The tannic acid in the leaves of the n'gallama tree and iron oxide in the mud react and create iron tannate, which is what dyes the cloth black. Sometimes, the fermented mud is applied repeatedly to additionally dye remaining area or make the patterns more distinct on the cloth that has now washed off the n'gallama dye. The Malian people use straight lines, curves, and dots to draw in various abstract patterns that depict different objects or acts of everyday life. The secret to the meaning of different patterns and how to draw them is passed on from mother to daughter. And because women make Bògòlanfini handmade over long period of time with patterns that hold the history of the people, old proverbs and personal stories, there is no same Bògòlanfini on earth. It takes about two to three weeks to complete one Bògòlanfini from weaving the cloth to repeated dyeing process. Because a genuine Bògòlanfini can only be made through a long process and the devotion of the people of Mali, this traditional clothing has become the symbol that represents the identity of the Mali tribe.

 The people of Mali wear Bògòlanfini at the most special occasions of their lives. Bògòlanfini is an important article that protects loved ones from bad fortune at weddings, births, and coming-of-age ceremonies. It was also used as camouflage to protect hunters during hunts. Also, the Mali people sometimes wear Bògòlanfini that represents their social status or occupation. 

 Malian fashion designer Chris Seydou introduced Bògòlanfini in Paris in 1971, which was disappearing because it takes a long time to make. He used Bògòlanfini in the clothes of Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne, which became a huge hit. And in the 1980s, it became the traditional clothing sought out by more artists. Bògòlanfini, which gained popularity in fashion and interior design, became a pattern worn by many celebrities, including Michelle Obama and Beyoncé.

 Bark cloth is known to have been made by the artisans of the Ngonge clan of Baganda kingdom in Western Uganda for the royal family and its people since the 12th century. The technology to make bark cloth, which is one of the first cloths used by man, existed even before cloth weaving technology was developed. It was registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008.

 Artisans select Mutuba (Ficus natalensis) trees, which is a tree in the Moraceae family, aged more than 8 years and remove the inner layer of the bark. The removed thin inner layer is then struck repeatedly with wooden bats of different shapes for a long time to be made into a reddish-brown cloth. Ancient men wore this bark cloth like toga or as a belt around the waist. The royal family, especially, wore bark cloth dyed white or black to demonstrate status. The people of Baganda continue to wear bark cloth today on special occasions such as coronation ceremonies or funerals. It is also used as cloth for not only clothes but also in interior design like curtains or bed covers. Bark cloth also has spiritual meaning for the Baganda people. They believe that it will take the spirits to the land where their ancestors live, and so they wrap the deceased in seven layers of bark cloth.

 Bark cloth might have disappeared in history because of Britain's policy attempting to ban and eradicate Uganda culture and tradition during colonization. But bark cloth became a symbol of resistance against Britain instead. When Baganda's King was kidnapped to Britain, people of Uganda wore bark cloth as an expression of their loyalty to their king and resistance against colonialists.

 The biggest advantage of bark cloth, which holds such painful history of the Ugandans and their long tradition, is that it can be made using tree bark without damaging the tree, a renewable resource. In making the sustainable bark cloth, the outer bark of the Mutuba tree is stripped, a thin inner layer is removed to be made into cloth, and then it is covered with a banana tree leaf after applying resin for the tree to heal and grow again. This allows for the tree to maintain water and protect against insects and will start growing to be used again in 1 to 5 years. 

 Unlike other cloths, bark cloth cannot be dyed, rubberized, bleached or hardened. So, it is not usually used for modern clothing, but it is widely used in various interior design items and materials. The future of bark cloth is worth taking note of as it gains the attention and interest from designers worldwide due to its sustainability and because it is a plant-based material.

 To the people of the Ashanti Empire who lived in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, adinkra printed cloth and woven fabric were the main materials for clothing. Adinkra, which came from the name King Adinkra of Gyaman, was made by printing symbols and patterns using adinkra aduru ink on cloth inspired by those on the clothes worn by King Adinkra. This cloth became more popular when it was introduced in the Ashanti Empire and was used to record proverbs and important historical events by designing more meaningful symbols and patterns of their own unique philosophy. The word adinkra is now a name for the cloth itself and the symbols printed on it. It is still a traditional clothing worn during special occasions like weddings and coming-of-age ceremonies in Ghana.

 You can call a cloth adinkra if it has more than three adinkra symbols printed using a stamp carved out of a calabash piece and plant-based black ink. The word adinkra itself also means 'bidding farewell' and is made with red, brown, and blue cloths to be worn as mourning dress. Adinkra of colorful cloth or ink would be worn at events of celebration. Adinkra, which began with around 50 symbols, has increased to more than 500 symbols today, including symbols of modern life like mobile phones and cars to even symbols of political parties. As a result, adinkra is used not only on clothing, but also in different ways in everyday life, gaining much popularity among African Americans as well.

 Around 400 years ago, brothers Krugu and Ameyaw of Bonwire, a town in Ghana, went hunting and was inspired by a spider weaving a beautiful web and created the first Kente cloth of black and white using raffia palm tree. The King of the Ashanti Empire, who was very happy with the Kente cloth that the brothers made, ordered for more to be made with colorful colors. The town's weavers used various dyes made with tree bark and seeds to dye the threads and wove the colorful traditional Kente cloth. The first dyes made with natural materials were red, green, and yellow, and so the traditional Kente cloth was made with five colors including black and white. Since then, more dyes were made to color the threads and each color had different meaning (black – Africa, red – the blood of ancestors, yellow – gold, green – forest).

 Kente clothing is made by weaving the threads one by one using a loom and not only does it hold different stories in its colors but also expresses meaningful messages in its patterns. The colorful Kente cloth was only allowed to be worn by the royal family in the past but has now become a beloved pattern worn by the people of Ghana as well as young people across the world.

 After introducing beauty unique to the African continent in my previous columns, I wanted to show you the more popular side of Africa as well. I started to find out about the clothes of African people who enjoy wearing clothes that are more colorful than what's usually worn in Western societies. And the more I learned, I realized that clothes are to the people of Africa not just a way of covering up the body, but a book that holds the stories of their lives and history. I dare to imagine that this was a way for them to remember the teachings of their ancestors every day and live their lives in wisdom held in the countless stories hidden behind the colorful patterns and colors. 

 If you ever have the chance to travel to Africa, how about buying a traditional African clothing that holds meaningful stories to bring back as a souvenir? A piece of clothing made with materials given by nature that holds a story just for you would be a great way to remember your memories in Africa!

 Hakuna Matata ☺