By Globe Staff
Brightly colored, geometrically patterned kente cloth made by the Asante peoples of Ghana and the Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo is the best known of all African textiles.
In African American communities, kente is a symbol of African pride.
“Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity” will be an exhibition on display at the Oakland Public Library’s African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) at 659 14th St. from Dec. 15 to Jan. 19, 2006.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m., there will be an AAMLO Holiday Fashion Extravaganza featuring original kente creations by Motown designer Henry Delton Williams.
RSVP for each event by calling (510) 637-0200.
Kente has its origins in the former Gold Coast of West Africa as festive dress for special occasions, traditionally worn by men as a kind of toga and by women as upper and lower wrappers. Over the past forty years, as kente’s popularity has mushroomed, the cloth has been used in hats, ties, bags, shoes, jewelry and many other accessories worn on both sides of the Atlantic. Kente patterns have become so ubiquitous that they now appear as surface designs for everything from adhesive bandages and balloons to greeting cards and book covers.
Visitors to “Wrapped in Pride” will see kente weaving traditions and examples of historic and contemporary kente. Photographs and videos depicting the use of kente in contexts ranging from religious to commercial tell how this traditional art form was transmitted across an ocean, and how it changed as it was embraced around the world as an expression of African cultural identity and pride worn by the likes of W.E.B. DuBois, Muhammad Ali, Spike Lee and Nelson Mandela, among others.
The exhibit also looks at the prominence of kente during the months of December, January and February, when the confluence of Christmas, Kwanzaa, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and African American History Month prompts its wearing and display in a variety of forms.
AAMLO is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5:30 p.m.
For more information call (510) 637-0200 or visit www.oaklandlibrary.org.
