My First Kanga

Since I've come to Dar es Salaam, I've realized the great importance of having some sort of creative outlet for myself. Without taking photos as often as I would like, I feel completely unbalanced. Though this weekend I did manage to take some photos at the beach, it hasn't been enough. I need more. So I've been on a mission to find an art supply store (no luck yet) because I've always wanted to take up painting, but out of fear haven't yet. Therefore, until I can start painting and taking more photos, I've decided to design my own dresses.

This weekend I went to Uhuru Street in the centre of Dar es Salaam and bought my first Kanga. A kanga is a traditional Tanzanian garment consisting of 2 brightly painted pieces of cloth. You can either wear the kanga as a 'doti' (a borrowed Hindi word) or get it tailored into a two piece dress. It's about the wide as your arms outstretched and as long your neck to your knees. The interesting thing about kangas is that they each have a Swahili proverb printed at the bottom. Check out this site for common sayings and the full history of the kanga. While I was shopping for one I found 2 REALLY interesting kangas. One was an outright political statement supporting the ruling party and the other had a huge picture of guess who....OBAMA! hahaha it cracked me up. I have yet to see a woman wearing it, but the minute I do I will surely try to get that picture.

I picture this as a knee length dress.

My kanga doesn't have Obama, but the Swahili proverb roughly translates to 'God is a shelter in moments of hardship'. I initially had gone to the stores with certain proverbs in mind, but of course I left it at the house so I just bought the one with a pattern and color I liked. Now I'm not the most religious person, but I find this saying quite fitting for my time here in Dar es Salaam. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.

I think I'll cut that brown diamond in half and make it a neckline and the bottom brown bit the border at the bottom of the dress. Can't you see it?!?!

After I bought this Kanga, I found a man selling batik (tie-dye) fabric. I like the batik fabric much more, it has a natural feel to it. Kangas mostly have huge prints of flowers and leaves that can be a bit overwhelming.

Anyway, I decided that I would make a dress, but not in the style that the women here wear. Though the women look great, I don't think I would wear them much. Once I find a good tailor, I'll have 2 new dresses. Stay tuned for the results.