Kitenge (clothing)
Kitenge or Chitenge (plural vitenge in Swahili ) describes brightly printed material of a solid quality, which is used in East Africa as clothing for blouses and skirts, as a sling and even as headgear.
In contrast to the kanga with a similar purpose, Kitenge is sold by the meter and is sold from the bale. Kitenge is also not decorated with motifs, sayings or political slogans , but is similar in the patterns to the kanga.
As a piece of clothing, African women often wear kitenge wrapped around the chest or hips, similar to a sarong . Less often men wear kitenge slung around their waist. This fashion has its origin in Zanzibar in the 18th century and is worn in Kenya , Tanzania , Malawi , Uganda , Sudan and Somalia .
Web links
- Kenya's Quest for National Attire. Retrieved January 25, 2010 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kitenge. Watatu Textil HB, archived from the original on August 18, 2010 ; Retrieved January 25, 2010 .
- ↑ Khanga and Kitenge. Retrieved January 25, 2010 .