Nigerian and Ghana culture, textiles
Link below to the BETA Open University podcast site, wish there were more like it especially arts/practice related content or maybe that's our job? I thought this particular one relates well to the work of one of my students on the Foundation course (Rebecca Oloidi) got me thinking about the relationships if any between Nigerian and Ghana culture, textiles clothes given there proximity. Also got me thinking about my own culture, dress what defines UK fashion and textiles and the relationship to other European countries, Gap, Next, TopShop and PriMark seems very much to be our mainstream cultural identity.
Text from the OU podcast website - http://podcast.open.ac.uk/oulearn/arts-and-humanities/history-of-art/podcast-a216-textiles-ghana
In Ghana, types of cloth and the design of textiles are about more than just fashion. Woven Kente cloth is a great status symbol, marking wealth and, in the past, office - something to be worn on important occasions and by important people. Adinkra is a printed fabric, hand-made and worn mainly for funerals, which are very important celebrations in Ghana. The tracks on this album introduce the Kente weavers and Adinkra workers, show the creative processes behind the textiles they make, and reveal how traditional designs remain relevant. This material is taken from The Open University Course A216 Art and its histories.
