Kente & Dida

Cloth woven in strips a hand’s width wide, then sewn edge to edge. Kente cloth and Dida raffia textiles here come from the Ashanti and Ewe of Ghana and Togo and the Dida of the Ivory Coast, mostly from the 20th century. Kente, called nwentoma in Twi, is woven on narrow looms and sewn into large ceremonial cloths, worn wrapped like a toga at festivals and important occasions. Ashanti kente is known for bold blocks of color, while Ewe weavers often add small figurative motifs.

Dida dance skirts from the Ivory Coast are woven of raffia as tubes, then tie-dyed in the plangi technique into earthy rings and dots. Ewe strip-woven cloths from Togo and Ghana fill out the group. A kente cloth can hang like a quilt or lie across the foot of a bed, and a Dida skirt mounts well under glass. Both were made to move, and they still look as if they might.