Kangas

1 June 2010
Today, if you go to www.google.co.tz (the Tanzanian version of Google), you might not just get the usual swahili web page responses that we usually see here.  There's also a very cool picture of a kanga for the Google logo, as seen below.

For those of you non-Swahili speakers, the Swahili above says: UNITY IS STRENGTH, DIVISION IS WEAKNESS.  The flags, left to right, are: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda - the five East African countries

One of the first things you learn about clothing here in Eastern African is about the Kanga.  It's a piece of fabric that originally had designs of guinea fowl (or "kanga" in Swahili) on them.  Now they have many many "mengi" (many) different designs and colors, but there are some things that never change.  The first is that they always come in sets of two (think about what you see above, then another one end-to-end on the right hand side...).  This makes shopping with a friend fun as you can buy one, split the material, and split the cost!  Every kanga has a border around the edges of different designs, as also seen above.  Lastly, there is always a proverb or political message written in Swahili on the fabric.  This is important to check before you start wearing it around... for obvious reasons :)  (Click here for a list of kanga sayings, their translations, and their meanings).

Recent, popular kangas in Tanzania have featured two very popular, very familiar faces.  One is that of President Obama (a HUGE hero around here with many people!), and the other is Michael Jackson.  Imagine a bright orange or yellow background, with a black border, and a massive portrayal of one of these two popular faces in the middle...being made into any one of the several options found below.  I think you're starting to get the picture. :)

For those of you who watch the Emmy's, it turns out that Obama kangas were popular even before the US Election.  I just found this picture on Google images, straight off the run-way from 2009!

What, exactly, might you use such an amazing piece of fabric for?  Well, I'm glad you asked!  There's actually a book on the market that answers your question to completion, called Kangas: 101 Uses: Fashionable, Functional, and Fanciful.  BUT for those of you who aren't quite ready to rush out and read the book, here's a quick synopsis of ten fashionably fanciful functions you can use the cloth for.

1. The traditional use of the fabric is to make a wrap-skirt.  It's simply the cloth (as seen above - 1 side of it) wrapped around your waist to make a covering.  I'd always wear it over something, but it makes an easy "more appropriate" clothing option for covering the outline of our thighs when we're going into areas that are heavily Muslim. 
2. As you can see above, you can also use this fabric to make a variety of other clothing options.  I've not made pants (yet) but I do have skirts and dresses made out of different designs. Thus far, I've found different designs from those above to use for my creations - and have been much happier with them in the end!
3. In the midst of hot Dar es Salaam, kangas have a variety of other functions as well.  One of these is to cover your head and shoulders when you walk.  When we first saw someone doing this we sure they were die of heatstroke... but it turns out that a light piece of fabric covering you from the brilliantly hot equatorial sun really does make a difference in keeping you cool!
4. In colder places, like Mbeya - or in Dar when you reach a much-to-be-longed-for coldly-air-conditioned room - you can use such useful pieces of fabric to wrap up in.  They make a great shawl or leg covering to shield against the upepo baridi (cold breeze).  
5. Kangas are also extremely useful when sitting outside a bus that has been broken down, in terms of shielding your legs from the relentless mozzies (mosquitoes).
6. If you think to bring your belongings overseas in an Action Packer, kangas are perfect for covering the box and making it into a small shelf or bench.  They also make a great tablecloth for coffee tables, and protect furniture when fundis decide to use your newly-purchased bedside tables pieces as tool benches.  (Fundis are "experts" - sometimes self-proclaimed, other times well-trained and good at what they do.  The term could be used for carpenters, plumbers, tailors, mechanics, electricians, lights, anything.)
7. Recently, I tried out my mad-skills of carrying things on my head.  I don't have it quite down yet... ok, I have a long ways to go!  But it turns out that wood of the table, rubbing against the skull bones on my head, just doesn't feel very comfortable.  Needless to say, I gave up within a couple of minutes.  In watching Tanzanian women more carefully, I've since discovered their trick.  They roll up a kanga into a soft circular shape, put this on their head, and THEN put their water bucket, pile of sticks, or basket of veggies on their head.  I'm not to the point of being able to do this with a baby on my back (also in a kanga), while holding onto a small child with each hand (meaning the bucket/sticks/etc are balanced perfectly as they all walk along together...) but perhaps this small piece of knowledge will help me get there a little faster!
8. For all you mamas of watoto kidogo (little kids) out there, here's your fast, cheap, easy option for keeping your child with you at all times... and going about daily life in the meantime!  Simply lay your baby face down on your back (with you leaning bent foward from your waist, of course), wrap a kanga around you so that they are tightly held against your back with legs sticking out on either side, and tie it over your shoulder and knotted across your front.  Wahlah!  None of these expensive kiddie backpacks for you!  Maybe you'll even set a new fashion trend :)
9. Back to home uses.  Kangas make GREAT window coverings, or curtains.  They are fun, brightly colored, come in a variety of styles that fit your fancy... and are just about the right length and width to cover the windows in your house.  I've opted to use something a bit less African-ish for my room... but one of my roommates used these and they looked great!
10. Last but not least, kangas make a great option for gift wrap.  They're a little more pricey than the paper kind you're likely to find at a local MEIJER... pole sana (so sorry!) to those of you who aren't lucky enough to have such a great store near your home!  But kangas ARE reusable and versatile for any of the purposes above.  So if you ever get a gift wrapped up in a largish cloth with a border, a Swahili saying, and bright colors, you now know what to do.