DETAILS:

The Bolgatanga accent pillow celebrates West African culture in a bold way and makes a statement wherever it is placed. This one-of-a-kind decorative pillow was made with four types of hand spun cotton mud cloth. This statement piece will be the focal point of any room, whether nestled in a chair or used as a floor cushion.

• 24” x 24”

• Front – cotton

• Back – linen, in black

• Zipper closure

• Down feather insert

• Fabric origins: Ghana, Mali

THE STORY:

I have long been fascinated with the African textiles known as “mud cloth.” Every piece of this cloth is unique and has a story to tell. Originally, mud cloth was from Mali in West Africa, but is now made in several other West Africa countries. Mud cloth is also called “bogolanfini” and consists of three words: bogo, lan, and fini. Bogo means “earth” or “mud,” lan means “with,” and fini means “cloth.” Each symbol painted in the cloth has special meaning and can tell the history of a village, a person’s occupation, social status, or proverbs. Some symbols remain a mystery.

Traditionally, men weave narrow 4 ½”cotton strips of fabric that are pieced together to form a larger rectangular cloth. Women dye the cloth by first soaking the fabric in ground leaves creating a yellowish color. It is then dried and covered with a fermented mud to achieve patterns in black, brown, and white. These first two steps can be repeated many times to achieve the desired patterns and colors. This pillow, made from four different pieces of mud cloth, is woven using hand-spun natural organic cotton. Each piece has its own unique patterns and symbols.

I purchased the mud cloths in a large market in Bolgatanga, Ghana. I was working with basket weavers who were part of a women’s development project within Trade Aid Integrated, a fair trade organization that markets the baskets.