Vintage & Collectable African Textiles

Tanzania Kanga

A colourful kanga with a great proverb. Cotton. Made in Tanzania. 2009

• Single kanga: £25
• Uncut pair of kangas: only £40 - save £10

Approximate size, each kanga: 105 x 160 cm / 41 x 62 inches

Proverb translation: Marriage is the light God has commanded.

Kanga is the Kiswahili word for the traditional cotton wrapper worn by women in East Africa, especially the ‘Swahili coast' of Kenya and Tanzania.

In Kenyan and Tanzanian markets, kangas generally come as a matching pair: one kanga for a wrapper, the other for a shawl, head-tie, baby carrier, etc.

Historically woven and printed in India, modern kangas are mostly produced in East Africa for the local market. Since the 1900s, kangas have been distinguished by a central motif, a Swahili proverb and a border around the edge.

Approximate size, each kanga: 105 x 160 cm / 41 x 62 inches

Proverb: Marriage is the light God has commanded.