THE DRESS THAT TALKS: THE KANGA FABRIC IN CONTEMPORARY SHAMBAA WEDDING CEREMONIES IN NORTH-EASTERN TANZANIA
Keywords:
kanga dress, communicative cloth, culture, tradition, contemporaryAbstract
This paper examines the kanga dress as communicative clothing in the Tanzania context. Using observation of various situations and interpretation of texts in kanga, it examines the significance of the kanga dress particularly in Shambaa wedding ceremonies. The sample of the wedding ceremonies is determined by the writer’s knowledge of the culture and traditions of Shambaa ethnic group. The paper analyses how the kanga dress in Shambaa offers women and the community a communication means. It argues that kanga is an essential part of ritual and social activities in Shambaa culture. Employing examples of the kanga worn in wedding ceremonies, the paper contends that there is a relationship between the occasions and types of kanga worn by women. This relationship also exists between occasions and the sayings inscribed on the kanga women wear for particular occasions. In fact, the kanga texts communication facilitates the understanding of the Shambaa culture.
References
Allwood, J. (2002). Bodily communication dimensions of expression and content. Multimodality in Language and Speech Systems. Springer Netherlands.7-26
Barnard, M. (2002). Fashion as Communication, London and New York: Routledge.
Beck, R.M. (2001). “Ambiguous signs: The role of the kanga as a medium of communication.” Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere (68) 157-169.
Berg, B. L. (2001). Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. California State University. Allyn and Bacon Long Beach.
Borgatti, J. (1983). Cloth as Metaphor: Nigerian Textiles Museum of Cultural History. UCLA. No. 20.
Cunningham, P. A. and Voso, S. L. “Understanding Dress and Popular Culture” in Dress and Popular Culture, Eds. Patricia A. Cunningham and Susan Voso Lab. Bowling: Green State University Popular Press. 1991:5-18.
Frey, L., Botan, C., & Kreps, G. (1999). Investigating communication: An introduction to research methods. (2nd ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Hamid, M. A. (1996). “Reflection from East Africa, Kanga: It is More Than What Meets the Eye — A Medium of Communication”. African Journal of Political Science New Series (1):103-109
https://www.pinterest.com/lauramponzi60/kanga (2018) 13/6/2018
Kaiser, S., (1997). The Social Psychology of Clothing, 2nd ed., New York: Fairchild Publications.
Larsson, S. Park. (2014). Do You See What I See?: A Cross-Cultural Study on Interpretation of Clothing as a Non-Verbal Signal. University of Gothenburg Department of Applied Information Technology Gothenburg, Sweden.
Linnebuhr, E. (1992). “Kanga: Popular cloths with messages.” in Sokomoko: Popular Culture in East Africa (Matatu No. 9), Ed. Werner Graebner. Atlanta, GA: Rodopi. 81-90.
Lurie, A., (1992), The Language of Clothes, London: Bloomsbury.
Mack, N., Woodsong, C., MacQueen, K.M, Guest, G. and Namey, E. (2005). Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector’s Field Guide. Carolina: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
McCracken, G. (1998). “Clothing as Language: an Object Lesson in the Study of the Expressive Properties of Material Culture.” in Culture and Consumption, Ed. Grant McCracken. Bloomington. IN. Indiana UP.
Peirce, C. S. (1998). The Essential Peirce: Selected Philosophical Writings. Peirce Edition Project, (eds.) (Vol.2, 1893 – 1913). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Raunio, A-M. (1982). “Favorite clothes – a look at individuals’ experience of clothing. In, Clothing and Its Social Psychological, Cultural and Environmental”, Suojanenen 22 U, 179-194, University of Helsinki Dept. of Teacher Education, Research Report No. 161.
Shemsanga, E. N. (2013). The culture of "silent sexuality" amongst the Shambala of Tanzania: towards an intercultural approach in the pastoral ministry. Thesis (PhD). Stellenbosch University.
Vanderstoep, S. W. and Johnston, D. D. (2009). Research Methods for Everyday Life: Blending Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. CA. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint.
Yahya-Othman, Saida. (1997). “If the cap fits: Kanga names and women’s voice in Swahili society”. Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere. 51: 135-149.
