My Indian and African friends also see other cultures using their designs as appreciation. Thanks for confirming that the people around you also feel the same way. It has to do with who is earning the money from the sales.
I'm South African. My mom makes traditional ladies clothing. She asks for german print fabric at the factory shop she usually frequents. It is most popular in the Border Region. Also the factory is mostly black owned. That region is severly poverty stricken. They are very happy for ANYONE to buy their products and use them anyway you want to use them.
That is great that you were able to get questions answered. The fabric is printed both in Holland and in Africa. Do you remember if the prices comparable to quilting cotton?
@@sewmeonekenobi639 Okay, that makes sense that it was printed in Holland then. The fabric that I bought was cheaper than the cotton I buy, so I am 90% sure that it was made in Africa.
Yes, that is one of the controversies. Historically, when the Dutch were the colonial power, they printed the fabric in Holland, using techniques from Indonesia, and they continue to print them there, although there are also factories in many parts of Africa.
I feel like the cultural approbation controversy is to erase parts of the cultures being appropriated. If no one buys products from the artists and producers they have to stop making them. If other people admire their arts the more likely it is for the future generations of that culture to admire them as well.
That's pretty much what it's trying to do. Take the kimono controversy; only the people having a fit with non-Japanese people wearing kimono are people who don't even live there. Meanwhile kimono makers in Japan are suffering from lowered sales and WANT to expand their business outside of the borders. Kimono literally means "things people wear." Kimono aren't sacred. My Japanese college mates took *great* joy out of dressing the rest of us up in kimono for the cultural festival.
@@impishrebel5969 I hadn't heard about the kimono controversy, so thank you for that. I have found that usually the people that are upset are not the people whose culture is being promoted.
It is true that things that happened in the past cannot be undone. But they did happen, and we can't forget that they did. One of the people who commented on the video mentioned that some problems continue to carry over from the past into the present. The fabric is really pretty and I look forward to using it.
I hear this appropriation nonsense and it grinds my gears. I’m Scottish. It’s ok somehow, for people to wear tartan no matter where they come from, but I can’t make a dressing gown and call it Kimono??? 95% of this, in my mind, is virtue signaling
imho, "cultural appropriation" divides people. Using other cultures' fabrics, clothing, & other items is a high form of appreciation and admiration for that culture.
I agree, people shoudl be respectful of other people's cultures, I would consider it a compiment for cultures to use things from other cultures. People make WAY too big of a deal about EVERYTHING now. Makes everything really stressful. IMHO.
@@paulaneary7877 not all cultures consider it a compliment to use their designs, but as these were designed by African women and made in Hiolland, I would think that they would be happy to see their designs used
I have minimal patience for the vitriol surrounding "cultural appropriation". Frankly, it is a stick for people with extreme views to beat more moderate people into extremism. Shaming is not a social tool, it is a cult tool. respectful enjoyment of other cultures is core to the human experience.
Continue to use whatever makes you happy. I bought African print/african fabric and made my first African quilt after watching one of your videos. At the end of the day, you really exposing others to different fabrics and styles they may not have otherwise been exposed to.keep pushing forward. Those that are not happy can simply move on.
I'm 🇿🇲 Zambian, we call these Chitenges, we don't care who buys or uses them. Cultural appropriation is a western costruct, Africans like myself dont care. Continue doing your thing ❤
Thank you for your perspective, BaDazai. You are right, it does seem to be a western construct. I wonder though, whether the western perspective is more correct, because they can look from the outside and see where one culture is stealing a set of designs from another culture. I do buy and use fabric that I think is from Africa. Sometimes if you see that a design has been stolen, you can vote with your dollars and not let it happen.
Good grief!!!!! Why off why do people feel the need to criticize!!!! This lady is showing her beautiful fabrics and projects. That’s it. No cranky butt criticizers need respond!!!!
This is an excellent explanation 👍👍 The "issue" might be avoided by calling them "African print fabrics" instead of "African fabrics", but even then people will get upset since that's what people like to do on the internet. The irony is that the people who get upset about these kinds of things are often the same people whose concept of Africa is that it's one big West African country where everybody speaks Swahili and wears kente cloth. Your hesitance to use a name from one language - basically ignoring the existence of the others - is totally understandable.
Thanks for explaining this topic and I admire your research and sincere desire to be inclusive of all. Ooh, thanks for mentioning me!😊 Looking forward to the December sew-along ❤🎉
As a person who makes quilts I pick and spend my hard earned money, on fabric that appeals to me. Because you asked for our thoughts on this ‘controversy’ - Nothing personal or against ‘African fabric’ but it is not what I like…and that’s ok. It is beautiful and like any work of art we can admire the technique, style, design and colors used by the artist without needing to ‘own’ it let buy it, and we need to remember that quilters are fabric artists. My opinion also: I don’t agree with some people’s comments that you may be appropriating a culture - really? - it’s a product that is for sale and supports the businesses that produced it as well as the workers. Don’t buy it or use it and no one will benefit from the beauty. It’s your personal choice and as my wonderful Mum used to say “If you can’t say anything nice…don’t say anything at all.” Thank you for your very thorough explanation. Subscribed❤
Thank you, Speak Truth Be Kind. Welcome to the channel. The bright colors and bold prints will not appeal to everyone, for sure. It is best to buy what you like. Art is subjective. I agree that buying something on sale and supporting the business is a personal choice.
The stoics say, stop worrying about stuff you can't control. I'd let this controversy go. Who cares what other people think? The only question you should be asking is whether you like the fabric or not. "Oh you don't like me using this fabric... I'm sorry you feel that way. Anyway...then go about your business".
In South Africa it is known as shwe shwe. And it is well loved. The black people will sometimes make a whole outfit from it - headscarf, jacket and skirt. It looks absolutely gorgeous. I have bought some to add to a denim skirt. You have to wash it in very hot water to get the starch out. One of the factories that makes it in South Africa is Da Gama Fabrics. And this is called Three Cats Shwe Shwe. It Is not very wide though. Only abou 90cm. But the come in gorgeous colors and patterns
Thank you for this information! I didn't realize that this fabric looks like shwe shwe. Are you in South Africa As more people get exposed to production techniques and designs of other cultures, there is often blending. Originally shwe shwe was indigo and used a printing technique, but I know it is available in other colors now too. And the Ankara fabric was originally wax block prints, and now they use a printing technique too. From my distance and inexperience, I don't really know how to tell them apart.
Thank you so much for this interesting video. I buy scraps of what I had previously referred to as African fabrics, and might now refer to as ‘African Fabrics’ from tailors in Africa that a friend brings back from trips there. I use them in bags, quilts and wall hangings. I use them because I love the colours and I try not to waste any material. I also use old tablecloths, old curtains and old clothing - often my husband’s shirts that have gone through at the cuffs and beyond repair jeans. I do it partly to keep costs down and partly to reduce the carbon footprint of the textile industry by preventing cotton, and cotton type fabrics going into landfill.
It seems like we have been standing on the shoulders of other people for as long as we have been a people. I don’t know if that is wrong. Sharing ideas is also a way of bringing people together. It is a shame though when something beautiful and meaningful becomes mass produced and cheaply made or in a way hijacked to the point where the origin is lost. We can sometimes recognize these products and avoid buying them. We can also try to pass on the origin of the art along with the idea much like you are doing. It is complicated and there will be many different thoughts on the subject.
Well done video. I sew garments. I was worried about cultural appropriation, but feel that I have been encouraged to use Ankara, as long as I'm not using something that has a traditional meaning. Several of the black sewists on social media host events like Ankara month or challenges where you make something designed by black designers. They want their art to be successful and appreciated, which means seeking a wider audience. FYI, my go to for Ankara is House of Mami Wata. I stay away from Kente cloth because that does feel like cultural appropriation. African-American owned fabric stores are rare. In the last few years, we've lost the beautiful store, Melanated Fabrics. So yes, let's send them some love! Respect.
I agree with Kente cloth. It does look like the cloth itself has special meaning. That looks like a great source, thank you for sharing that. They are in the U.S. I haven't seen these designs. Here's the link House of Mami Wata houseofmamiwata.com/collections/ankara-fabrics-2 I will add it to the video description too, so it doesn't get lost among the comments.
I think you are right on. Thanks for explaining , i love learning about different cultures . We are all so unique and everyone has their own talents that we can share with others. Peace on earth!!
Thanks, Veronica! I enjoyed watching your charm pack quilt video too. You look like you have a lot of fun sewing, and the fabrics you used are so beautiful too! ✂
Shelina, I learn so much from your videos like this. I appreciate how respectful and inclusive you want to be. I looked for the link to where you bought the fabric but didn't see it in the description box. I was so impressed with the quilt you made, the gorgeous, vibrant fabrics in the video and your thoughtfulness and respectful demeanor in the original video. I will need to go back and look there for fabric source. I haven't sewn garments in years but would love a couple caftans made out of this type of vibrant colorful fabric to wear during the soon to arrive winter moody weather days. Your channel brings me joy and I love the mini vacations you take me on. 🤓 Looking forward to fifteen minutes of sewing with everyone in December. And...love your haircut. Have a wonderful day. Thanks for another great video!
Thank you! These fabrics are so vibrant and gorgeous, even with their history. I have added the fabric source to the description box. Thanks for your patience.
Every language carries a culture and a history with it. If the language is lost so is a part of the culture and history. That is a good reason to speak the language you grew up with. Your reasons to use a commonly used language makes perfect sense though. I just like the idea of retaining your language personally. The fabrics are gorgeous.
Thank you for this very interesting video. There is so much to learn. I love the sentiment that the fabrics get along and it is symbolic of universal peace that can happen. It is a wonderful example of unity and diversity.
Wow! Lovely video! Thanks for posting it. I appreciate your thoughtful sharing about the many aspects of African fabrics. I was aware of some of it from friends who married Africans.
There is a very good video somewhere on TH-cam that gives a comprehensive look at the history and the prices and even how the designs are arrived at, In think there are new ones every year. It is fascinating and a start to understanding the cultural significance. Some of these patterns are seriously expensive and the are prized by their owners as reminders of big events both public and private.
That does sound like a fascinating video. I will have to look for it. I did view a bunch of videos about these fabrics but don't think I came across that one.
Such eloquence! The same kind of questions come up around Native American teachings, beadwork, etc. I have an African fabric source in Europe, but I can't pay the shipping. To drool is free. Thank you for making this informative video!
I appreciate and agree with your points. You truly have knowledge on this tricky subject. I work with these fabrics often. My roots are West African and I feel African Fabric is appropriate. The art and soul of the fabric is African and that is what I will call it. Colonialization is a beast. Sometimes our roots are tangled up in bloody soil. The Africans that love these fabrics have gifted the world with this beauty...not the Dutch. My very humble opinion.
Thanks, Strictly Scraps. I saw your video of your beginning of your wall hanging. I look forward to seeing what you do with it. Did you applique the face to the fabric you first showed, or did it come that way?
@@nonamegivenatbirth We're not talking about everywhere right now. We're talking about one place and one thing. Not everything is about everywhere. Touching grass is important for everyone, even those of us who are getting older. Maybe you'd like to take a walk?
Isn't it so beautiful? I have included the shop's link in the description box. It is relatively inexpensive, compared to quilting cotton. Maybe I will include it in the prize drawing for the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge.
Fun fact: hawaiian shirts, those big bold prints we all know and love, were actually started by a Japanese tailor living in Hawaii who used the leftover Japaneses fabrics from other projects (I think he made kimono for the other migrants there) to create western-style shirts. As it turned out, the other people in Hawaii absolutely loved the prints and style of the shirts and started buying them, and the shirts became popular, then a fad, then made it big. Over the years it turned into the shirts with prints like the famous pineapple prints (which by the way are not native to the islands in the first place) and palm trees, et ctr et ctr.
Thanks for this discussion. If we all treated each other better, and shared the wealth of the world more, we could feel so much better using these ethnic designs. I thought we were on the way to celebrating everyone, and enjoying the richness of the variety of talents contributed. Why did everything get so icky and uncomfortable? Because of the backwards people who refuse to go forward! I LOVE beautiful printed fabric, but have backed off of using a lot of it if it felt too ethnic, and maybe would upset someone because I used it without being entitled to it. I hope we will recover from this era, and again start moving towards each other with acceptance, love, and celebration!
Thank you for sharing an interesting issue which was new to me. I wish it had lots of pictures of different fabrics while keeping the discussion running. That would use the format of video to its advantage rather then an audio showing the speaker. Thanks 🙏🏻
Thanks for watching! And thank you for your feedback. I agree, seeing more of the fabric would keep the video more interesting. I am a fairly new TH-cam creator so I am still working out the right balance. If you want to see more of the fabric, my other video, How To Use African Fabric for Quilting does have a lot more of the fabric and less of me. I am making another video that shows all of my latest fabric too (the stack I showed in the thumbnail and beginning of the video) so stay tuned for that.
TH-cam recommended you today. So glad! Very interesting and informative. I love African fabrics but have never used any yet. So much to look forward to!
I am interested in hearing from people of color how you feel about this usage of these fabrics. I have made several beautiful quilts with African fabrics. I am not a person of color. Thank you for the video and conversation.
No I haven't used any other type of African fabric besides Ankara. The last batch I bought were not all wax block prints, so I don't know what to call them, but they weren't shweshwe.
This was really informative. Thanks I also appreciate your honesty that you didn’t know what the working conditions were. I’m curious if the manufacturing information is on the selvage like some brands.
Thank you J! Most of them don't have any names on them. I don't research the brands of any of the other products I buy either, and they (including American ones) might also be guilty of wrongdoing without my knowledge.
@@shelina_virjee I haven’t either. When you brought it up, I realized that it wasn’t even on my radar. I think I’ll start looking up things before I buy new. I love my local quilt shop and shopping from a small business has been so nice. She’s talked about why she selects certain fabrics and she’s mindful of the artists/designers. That isn’t the luxury everyone has though. Thanks again for your insightful video
Pay no mind to the haters. The more people buy and appreciate'African' fabric, the more people celebrate each other. It's not like you aren't acknowledging the source. 🥰
I think you tackled this well. It's messy and awkward. There are a lot of issues involved. If we, as human beings, living in a global world that's much more interconnected than Generations pass, then we are going to have to start looking at what is happening and what has happened in the past. No one said this would be easy or comfortable. I think people want it to be easy and comfortable, but it's not. One makes decisions how about language, about naming, that may not be perfect, but one still makes the effort. I would rather share a discussion of this, rather than pretend that the past didn't happen, and that it has not had effects, both good and bad today. For me, there is a basic question that often tells me if cultural appropriation is happening. Are the creators of the music, the craft, the art, the technique, sharing in the wealth of the technique? Or is everybody else making money but the people who developed it? Recently I was looking for an Indian, or South Asian recipe. 90% of the people putting out the videos for those recipes were not from India or Pakistan or Bangladesh.
Thank you so much for your comment. I was hoping to make people aware of these issues and I am glad that at least for you, I did that. You are right, it has to do with who is getting the wealth, the creator or someone else. That is interesting about the recipe, there are a lot of South Asians who have recipe channels and I love to watch them. What was the recipe? I wonder if it is an Americanized version.
It has to do with who is earning the revenue. If I steal a design from your culture and make the money that you would have earned, then I think that it is appropriation. I don't know now though since it has been happening for so long how to fix that.
Im from the Philippines, and our local fabric industry isn't as prolific anymore due to fast fashion. I would be delighted, im sure our local weavers would be, too, if our local fabrics were used by foreign artists to make beautiful things! Mixing cultures always makes interesting art
Another factor to consider: much of what you see, especially if it is cheap, is Chinese-made; not wooden block printed, usually thinner, and usually a cotton-poly mix, I think. There are some African-owned companies making this cloth in Africa, but I don't know how available their product is overseas. While I'd love to buy the pricier classic Vlisco designs, I have to admit that most of my hoard of 'wax print African fabric' is probably Chinese imitation.
I hadn't considered that they could be printed in China. That is a possibility. I hadn't thought that they might have poly either. I did notice that some of these do not look dyed (there are white spots left on the back) and are probably not block printed either. They probably do use cheaper production techniques to make them cheaply. Thanks for watching and thanks for your comment, Helen!
That is a great idea! I am going to write it down so I remember. I don't know which fabric comes from which country, but hopefully that wouldn't matter.
I watched this based on the headline “controversy about African fabrics”. I don’t quilt but I have dolls (mainly Barbie but some 15” also) I have several Barbies that are described as African American and black skin tones that look stunning when dressed in African prints. I just wish that there were manufacturers out there who produced their prints in miniature scales - but in the absence of such I look for prints that have a lot of small patterns within the overall design.
You're right, these designs would look wonderful scaled down. I am about to make a small block which needs a smaller print, but I am going to do as you suggest, find a part of the overall pattern that will work in that space.
Thanks for explaining and clarifying it Shelina. I love some patterns there, period. Others i dislike but that's just a personal opinion. Each one is a piece of art by itself ❤
Yes, exactly. Each fabric is a work of art, and all art appeals to some and not to others. That is the nature of art. Thank you for watching and for your comment.
Interesting. One might make the point that perhaps the fabrics, dying, and weaving, etc. would not have been available to Africa without the colonialism that is just as controversial. I love the patterns regardless of origin. Were the designers of these prints African? The factories and dyes African? Such controversies always have huge issues. I’ve never been a US farmer, cowboy, factory worker, or miner but I love creating with denim. If fact, I claim it is racist for any other country to wear denim! Joking, of course.
Well Dmar, you added a whole new controversy to stir the pot. 🍯It's true though that without colonialism, the mixture of Indonesian techniques and African designs may never have happened, or would have taken a long time to happen. I don't know who the designers were, but I do know from the comments that there are Indonesian and African cultural designs that are in these fabrics. The problem is that colonialists were very mean to their colonies. Their resources were taken, the people were exploited and people from the colonies were killed. Some of the stories are very shocking and sad. The colonialists stole the wealth of the country, leaving them in worse shape, and the aftereffects are devastating and still continue today.
@@shelina_virjee That part, no one is arguing. Just adding that any outlook cannot be applied to other situations as well. Insight is required. I love the patterns regardless of origin. I also appreciate them if they are from a specific country.
Thank you for this information. I think it is so kind of you to take the time to explain about the process of making these various culture and beautiful fabrics. Because you find something beautiful from another culture and wish to use those items in your craft, hobby, or art isn't taking away from that culture but instead sharing the beauty you find. The ironic part --- as an American, it's a very American cultural thing to manufacture "controversy" and unfortunately this is an example of this misguided practice. I wish we could all handle our desire to be proud of our origins by way of education and sharing vs judgement or jumping to conclusions about someone's intent. You did nothing wrong and are not responsible for actions of past generations though it was very educational of you to include information in your video to explain why others commented as they had. We can only move forward and treat each other with love and kindness in our lives which you have certainly done by handling this situation as you have. Nicely done and very informative. Again - thank you for this information.
The manufacturer in the Netherlands has been making this fabric for almost 200 years. Traveling there last year i couldnt find the material in any of the shops I visited. Learned too late there is a Vlisco factory shop in Helmond. Apparently most fabrics are exported.
Thank you for confirming what I heard. That Vlisco manufactures in the Netherlands, but most of the fabric is exported to Africa (and probably other places now too). Do you see Dutch influences in the fabric, or is it mostly African designs?
I make quilts to donate. Many of these quilts go to African Americans, so I wanted to use at least one African type fabric in the quilt. Unfortunately, I cannot afford most of the African fabrics that I see, so very little will get used in my quilts.
These fabrics I bought are cheaper than regular cotton. I think the ones made in Holland are likely to be more expensive. The shop links in the description box are not affiliate links, but you will be able to see their prices there.
The Dutch company called Vlisco makes these fabrics. Indeed they tried to sell it to a Dutch market but it wasn’t selling so they tried another market, Africa. They liked the colors and the Quality! It's still made in the Netherlands and designed in the Netherlands. I'm sure they also work with Africa designers as well for projects because they do have different expositions and styles. There are copies from china that are lower quality but still ok quality. Likely there are local factors making their own products and own designs.
Thank you for this information, Michelle! Why do you think the Dutch market wasn't buying these fabrics? Is it because the colors are too bright? You are the second person who mentioned quality. Do you think the fabric quality was inferior? Do you think they used African designers from the very beginning? Another commenter also mentioned the fabric was also made in China.
If I tossed out everything in my closet that had roots in some other culture, all I would have left is a few t-shirts. Even something as American as blue jeans are made from denim and denim originated in France.
That is so true, plus it would be a lot of work just to do all that research. I just hope that the designers and makers of the fabric get most of the profits for their work.
I didn't think this is much of a controversy. This is a wonderful education on the history of these fabrics tho, so thank you for sharing this! And I agree on using the language of the people you purchased the fabric from vs a broader term, especially if you are buying from regionally local manufacturers/sellers. But if the commenter wants to avoid all things with any history of colonialism, they are gonna have to move to Mars or something. Colonialism touched every place on the globe in one way or another. Part of recovering from that harm is reclaiming things like these fabrics for the local cultures.
I was given some f African print fabric from a customer of mine because he knew that I sewed clothing and other things there was also an African import shop near my house that was woman owned, and I would buy Fabric there. She didn’t know a lot about the fabric and couldn’t advise me on anything about it. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to support small independent shops, especially women owned, but if you actually use things from the shops, then it’s cultural appropriation. I was watching one of the indigenous TH-cam channels I follow and someone was asking “I am not native American/indigenous. Can I buy one of your shirts and wear it?” And I think the most “ he said it’s not cultural appropriation, it’s cultural appreciation”. And he said as long as you’re respectful, even if you make mistakes, it’s OK. And yes. The African print fabrics are Dutch wax print.
Sometimes people see these prints as religious because people don’t know much about its history and various usage. Beautiful prints and nice to see both sexes wearing colorful and beautiful prints showing pride in themselves. 🙏💕
Please just use the fabrics the way you want, it’s called freedom, you know there are people out there that complain about everything, you could be making something special instead of worrying about who made the fabric, who can use the fabric, how to use the fabric, it’s exhausting! I enjoyed you telling about the history of the fabrics and techniques!
I was given some f African print fabric from a customer of mine because he knew that I sewed clothing and other things there was also an African import shop near my house that was woman owned, and I would buy Fabric there. She didn’t know a lot about the fabric and couldn’t advise me on anything about it. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to support small independent shops, especially women owned, but if you actually use things from the shops, then it’s cultural appropriation. I was watching one of the indigenous TH-cam channels I follow and someone was asking “I am not native American/indigenous. Can I buy one of your shirts and wear it?” And I think the most “ he said it’s not cultural appropriation, it’s cultural appreciation”. And he said as long as you’re respectful, even if you make mistakes, it’s OK.
Tweed, Denim, Calico,Gingham, Paisley patterns, plaid and tartan, silk..just about everything we wear has been culturally appropriated at some time. Including the suit and tie, worn all over the world.
I love these bright coloured fabric. When I see this type of printed fabric I think it is African prints on fabric. You bought it, you use however you see fit. Ignore the fabric police. You can't please everyone, so don't try. Delete them if you can? Looking forward to seeing your beautiful quilts!
I love them too. Thank you Robert and Mary Ann. I do intend to use them. I am not deleting them because I do value hearing their opinion. I just wanted to explain my thoughts in the video.
I live in The Netherlands and the fabric called Dutch wax is produced in Helmond by a firm called Vlisco. Therefore it is also called Vlisco fabric. When the Dutch colonialised Indonesia they found batiks there and so in the 19th century they tried the procedure in Holland hoping to sell it in Indonesia. The Brits did something like that in Manchester and sold their printed fabric in India. The Indonesians were, however, not impressed by the designs , as Indonesian traditional batik is often more refined. The Dutch then found a better market in West Africa so that established the export there. I have understood that the Africans appreciate the quality of the Dutch wax print fabrics and that is why it is still shipped there, for dress making mainly. I guess all trade was and is influenced by colonialism, also coffee, tea, chocolate etc unfortunately. I think it is okay to use these fabrics outside Africa and also for quilts. In my opinion it would only be cultural appropriation if you make and or wear something and claim it is or makes you really African. Unless you are African, of course. We are all entitled to our own opinions, but we don't have the right to force those on others
Thank you for your information. I didn't realize that the Dutch were trying to sell the fabric to Indonesia. I thought they were trying to sell in The Netherlands. You are the not the first person who has mentioned quality. What is it about the quality of the fabric that is different? My understanding is that the Vlisco fabric is more expensive than regular quilting fabric.
@@shelina_virjee The Vlisco fabric is expensive, but fabric in generalnis expensive here. We pay €22 for a metre of quilt fabric. I saw in a documentary that ladies in West Africa praise Vlisco for the quality, I myself would not be able to say whether the Dutch wax is better than the local African fabric.
I'm sorry, but I showed my Indonesian stepmother and she had no idea that so many of her traditional cultural designs had been stolen by Africans to use in their prints. Joking, she was delighted and fascinated by African prints - even though some do use Indonesian design motifs which do have deep religious and cultural meanings- was going to show her Indonesian friends. I work at a school that has many African refugees as students (mostly central and eastern countries) and they are delighted when I wear my African print dresses. We all like pretty things, most cultures love to see their clothes and fabric used. My stepmum frequently buys me traditional batik, beautiful handmade batik fabrics and encourages me to cut them up to make clothes. The African Mums and Dads at our school proudly wear their prints but rarely as whole cloths. And our interpreter clothes - chefs kiss 😘. We also have teacher's of African heritage working at the school that have migrated from Europe or central America and they are just not hung up on this issue.
It makes sense that some of the designs have Indonesian influences since the process came to Africa from Indonesia. All the Indians and Africans I know are delighted to see people of other cultures using their designs. I guess it would have to do with whether you are appreciating, or if you are stealing the designs and earning revenue from them. Thanks for confirming that the people around you also feel the same way.
That's true that those designs have become world wide. Most of the people who earned the money from these designs were Scottish people and descendants of Scottish people, at least initially.
@@shelina_virjee I think both designs are so incredibly old that there's positively no way of saying with complete certainty exactly WHO earned any meaningful sum of money from them. That information, as they say, has been lost to time.
There are a lot of controversies about this fabric and I hope that this video has presented some of them in a clear enough manner to at least introduce people to thet opic.
This is an awesome nuanced and informative history of this topic! You are clearly a maker who is well-informed of the creation of fabrics, the history and historical impact of fabric, and are able to appreciate the beauty of designs with those things in mind! I think most people agree that is not cultural appropriation, that is cultural appreciation! To the people who feel entitled to use every design on the planet (people in the comments saying WHO CARES or saying OK I GUESS EVERY CULTURAL FABRIC IS OFF LIMITS): that attitude is cultural appropriation. that is globalism at its WORST. The problem is commodifying cultures and making cultural artifacts "universal" and devoid of this history. If the history is painful to hear, that is something you need to face. The world doesn't need to hide colonial history to make people comfortable. There is a difference between saying "I like that fabric, I'm using it because I want to and everyone needs to shut up, I don't want to hear about anyone's opinions but mine" and "I like that fabric, I'm using it, and I'm going to make sure my use of it isn't rude and entitled by learning literally even one thing about it." Or bettter yet, what @shelina did in this video - I have this beautiful fabric and I'm going to teach other people about my knowledge and share resources that other people who are more knowledgeable in other areas have shared. TLDR the comments are full of neocolonialism, the creator shouldn't be lumped in with that and is going out of her way to NOT culturally appropriate.
@@shelina_virjee I personally learned a lot! I never thought about using these fabrics for quilts. I made my first quilt last year, and it gives me the idea to tell my friends/family to buy some fabric when they travel and ship it back to me so I can make them a memory quilt! I also had no idea about the history of these prints. I love learning how things are made and hope one day I’m knowledgeable about fabric and stuff! I’m glad TH-cam put this video on my home page 😂
On the subject of cultural appropriation- it is only appropriation when there is a negative intention. When for example someone is pretending to have invented something which is part of a culture. When we are using a style from a different culture because we love and admire it, then it is a homage to that culture. This is my view, anyway.
That could be. Thanks for your comment Ms Weaver. I wonder though, if we could accidentally do something wrong without negative intention, just because it was normal at the time. I think that some people who participated in slavery may not have bad intention, they just wanted to make profit and this was the standard way to do it.
Awesome video! Can't wait for the 15-minute quilt challenge in December. One question, I didn't see the link so I can shop for fabric. Any help you can give me wud be appreciated. Thank u
Hi Shelina, ! am glad YT suggested your channel to me :-) I'd like to ask you about something: I am from Central Europe, in my country we are quite homogenous and similar to people from neighbour countries so the problem of appropriating does not occur here (yet?), like wearing African prints here would draw attention because they are so bright and pretty and different from "our" prints, but won't upset anyone, and I truly dont know where is the line... serious question: would a white woman wearing such prints be offensive to tribe whose traditional patterns were used? How about if I wanted to wear a caftan or jewellery? Or maybe there are some colours or symbols holy or cursed or reserved only for the royalty? I want to appreciate other cultures, not appropriate and until now I was sure people from other countries were happy I like their patterns and want to wear them back home :-(
Hi Martha, welcome! That is a great question. I think one of the problems is that there is no one person to ask, since the designs belong to the community usually, or if there is a designer, it is usually an anonymous one. All of the people I know (both Indian and African) who see people who are not a part of their culture wearing and using their designs smile and are pleased that the designs and culture are liked enough to emulate. So I think it would be just fine, but there may be certain things, like uniforms and symbols of religious meaning, which could be wrong to use. You shouldn't wear something like the Pope's robe, or a religious collar, for example. Hard to know which symbols are which, but I would hope that by the time they are fabric, if they are sold to the general public, they would be okay to use. I think the problem would be if you use them to make money and pass them off as your own. So if you follow copyright laws, I think it might be okay. That is why I don't want to give credit to the Dutch. They took the process from Indonesia and the designs from Africa, and while the fusion is new, it is using designs from Africa without giving them credit and most importantly profit.
@@shelina_virjee thank you so much! When abroad I try to buy things not in tourist shops but rather at 'local people shop there' places so I hope the cuts and patterns weren't offensive per se... on a side note: we adopted Halloween costume parties here and I DID dress up as a nun once ;-) No outrage caused, just first surprise then hilarity because one of my friends was dressed up as an escort and other was wearing a leopard print onesie complete with ears and tail so people stared into our uber quite a lot!
Culturally speaking I am both first Nations and Prussian Mennonite. We have this head scarf called the Kokum that is very gorgeous. However, due to the saturation of Islamic communities in my area I can't wear it without being associated with them. It is very frustrating and disheartening that I can't wear something from my culture because of how other cultures interpret it as being appropriation. Cultures are meant to be shared and enjoyed. And it's very sad to me when people can't wear something that is legitimately from their culture without being accused of appropriation of others.
Is it the Muslims who are telling you that you can't wear the Kokum, or is it you can't wear it because you don't want people to think you are Muslim because you are wearing a head scarf? I haven't heard any Muslims say anything negative about other people wearing a head scarf. Many other cultures use head scarfs, and yours is likely different because of the design and the way you wear it.
@@shelina_virjee I live in very liberal Washington State, and cultural appropriation is one of the biggest sins in the eyes of society. I don't see anyone else wearing a kokum even amongst the native American peoples. There are a lot of native American people here. But it's because of how populous the Muslim community is that I don't wear it because I'm a Christian, not a Muslim, and I don't want to be mistaken to be one of them.
@@shelina_virjee there is this one knitting channel that condemns people for wearing a balaclava because of how much like her culture it looks. That is a very common sentiment amongst the Muslims in the yarn art community.
@@skeinofadifferentcolor2090 That is awful. Maybe she doesn't know that people of other cultures also wear head coverings. She may be one of the few people who think that way and maybe you wound up meeting them and not the others who don't feel that way.
by not knowing you might be helping out the wrong hands. there are wax print made in Africa in cotton and polyester but the biggest company making this and most attractive are made by Vlisco with high quality cotton woven and printed in Holland and there is another version of 100% cotton made in china but printed in Holland. by this moment is just a matter of lazy ingenuity which i tend to find from most DIYers vs. actual textile designers. the work is knowing and inten😢tion. just a reminder to me just buying something like this just because it's nice doesn't relate to my reality of having to tell a story with the materials i use. i would be careless to think that something is meaningful and important just by the look of it.
We gotta get rid of this cultural appropriation nonsense. We've verbally weaponized appreciation and adoption of ideas. Creativity is human. C'mon now.
It is a fine line, isn't it. Borrowing and adopting ideas, or taking over a culture. Some ideas wind up being universal, spontaneously cropping up throughout the globe.
This is definitely not something that is a matter of opinion. Colonialism, slavery, blood diamonds, cacoa plantations, holocaust and wars. Human beings have certainly found so many ways to be awful to each other. That is why I wanted to bring up the history in this video. I hope I didn't sound like I was minimizing it. We should be aware of the history. And it would be nice if we could learn from it and stop being so cruel. Do you think we shouldn't use the fabric because of its history? So much of what we use, including cotton in general, is stained with a bad history.
As a Dutch person: I really don't think we deserve to have these beautiful fabrics named for us. These fabrics aren't in common use here, they haven't become part of our cultural history either. At least not any more than slavery has and I should *HOPE* we've moved on from that being a part of our living culture. Dutch colonists may have facilitated the cross pollination of technique and style that made these possible, but neither wax printing nor the colorful styles are Dutch. Don't give us this one.
Thank you, Treegona, for your comment. I was hoping that I didn't offend Dutch people when I said that I don't want to call this Dutch fabric. We can thank the Dutch for introducing this technique to Africa, but that is about it. Do you know if the original fabric used Indonesian, Dutch or African designs? Did they start out with African designs from the very beginning?
A friend grew up in Indonesia. She pronounces “batik” as BAH-tik, emphasis on the first syllable. I try, in my small way, to pronounce names as they should be in the original language.
Here is the video that brought up the controversies:
How to Use African Fabrics for Quilting
th-cam.com/video/9SzHUftkWm8/w-d-xo.html
i am south african. trust me no one here is offended from people using african fabrics
My Indian and African friends also see other cultures using their designs as appreciation. Thanks for confirming that the people around you also feel the same way. It has to do with who is earning the money from the sales.
Beautiful fabric is beautiful fabric. How can there be controversy? I love it.
Thank you, Pink Sprinkle, I love it too!
I agree. Beautiful fabric is beautiful fabric.
I'm South African. My mom makes traditional ladies clothing. She asks for german print fabric at the factory shop she usually frequents. It is most popular in the Border Region.
Also the factory is mostly black owned. That region is severly poverty stricken. They are very happy for ANYONE to buy their products and use them anyway you want to use them.
Thank you for that information Tanya! Definitely, it is good to give our money and buy from people who need them.
I purchased “African” fabric about 18 years ago. The shop owner told me it was printed in Holland. Good report.
That is great that you were able to get questions answered. The fabric is printed both in Holland and in Africa. Do you remember if the prices comparable to quilting cotton?
@@shelina_virjee it's been so long, I don't remember how much I paid. It was a lot more than quilting cotton.
@@sewmeonekenobi639 Okay, that makes sense that it was printed in Holland then. The fabric that I bought was cheaper than the cotton I buy, so I am 90% sure that it was made in Africa.
That is the real controversy why are they printed in Holland?
Yes, that is one of the controversies. Historically, when the Dutch were the colonial power, they printed the fabric in Holland, using techniques from Indonesia, and they continue to print them there, although there are also factories in many parts of Africa.
I feel like the cultural approbation controversy is to erase parts of the cultures being appropriated. If no one buys products from the artists and producers they have to stop making them. If other people admire their arts the more likely it is for the future generations of that culture to admire them as well.
That is true, sometimes people from other cultures are better at getting people to recognize the art than the people who created them.
That's pretty much what it's trying to do. Take the kimono controversy; only the people having a fit with non-Japanese people wearing kimono are people who don't even live there. Meanwhile kimono makers in Japan are suffering from lowered sales and WANT to expand their business outside of the borders. Kimono literally means "things people wear." Kimono aren't sacred. My Japanese college mates took *great* joy out of dressing the rest of us up in kimono for the cultural festival.
@@impishrebel5969 I hadn't heard about the kimono controversy, so thank you for that. I have found that usually the people that are upset are not the people whose culture is being promoted.
Why are people so angry about everything? Let's just appreciate beautiful things and stop waking up ego from the past.
It is true that things that happened in the past cannot be undone. But they did happen, and we can't forget that they did. One of the people who commented on the video mentioned that some problems continue to carry over from the past into the present. The fabric is really pretty and I look forward to using it.
So does not using them means we should not use Irish, Scotch, Polylnesian, etc. also? Get real ladies! We all like to show off our heritage!
I hear this appropriation nonsense and it grinds my gears. I’m Scottish. It’s ok somehow, for people to wear tartan no matter where they come from, but I can’t make a dressing gown and call it Kimono??? 95% of this, in my mind, is virtue signaling
@@india1422 Actually you can make a kimono. The Japanese like for others to appreciate their culture and styles of clothing.
imho, "cultural appropriation" divides people. Using other cultures' fabrics, clothing, & other items is a high form of appreciation and admiration for that culture.
I agree, people shoudl be respectful of other people's cultures, I would consider it a compiment for cultures to use things from other cultures. People make WAY too big of a deal about EVERYTHING now. Makes everything really stressful. IMHO.
@@paulaneary7877 not all cultures consider it a compliment to use their designs, but as these were designed by
African women and made in Hiolland, I would think that they would be happy to see their designs used
Do you know the origin of sukiyaki? The whole world is Sukiyaki!! Get over the 'some cultures' propaganda.
buying a fabric designed by another culture is not cultural appropriation.
I have minimal patience for the vitriol surrounding "cultural appropriation". Frankly, it is a stick for people with extreme views to beat more moderate people into extremism. Shaming is not a social tool, it is a cult tool. respectful enjoyment of other cultures is core to the human experience.
Continue to use whatever makes you happy. I bought African print/african fabric and made my first African quilt after watching one of your videos. At the end of the day, you really exposing others to different fabrics and styles they may not have otherwise been exposed to.keep pushing forward. Those that are not happy can simply move on.
Thanks! It is great that you are using these fabrics for your quilts.
I'm 🇿🇲 Zambian, we call these Chitenges, we don't care who buys or uses them. Cultural appropriation is a western costruct, Africans like myself dont care. Continue doing your thing ❤
Thank you for your perspective, BaDazai. You are right, it does seem to be a western construct. I wonder though, whether the western perspective is more correct, because they can look from the outside and see where one culture is stealing a set of designs from another culture. I do buy and use fabric that I think is from Africa. Sometimes if you see that a design has been stolen, you can vote with your dollars and not let it happen.
Good grief!!!!! Why off why do people feel the need to criticize!!!! This lady is showing her beautiful fabrics and projects. That’s it. No cranky butt criticizers need respond!!!!
Thank you, Joan, for standing up for me. Your last sentence made me laugh out loud!
This is an excellent explanation 👍👍 The "issue" might be avoided by calling them "African print fabrics" instead of "African fabrics", but even then people will get upset since that's what people like to do on the internet. The irony is that the people who get upset about these kinds of things are often the same people whose concept of Africa is that it's one big West African country where everybody speaks Swahili and wears kente cloth. Your hesitance to use a name from one language - basically ignoring the existence of the others - is totally understandable.
Thank you so much, Kumada! Calling it African print fabric might work, though there are other kinds too, I think.
Thanks for explaining this topic and I admire your research and sincere desire to be inclusive of all. Ooh, thanks for mentioning me!😊 Looking forward to the December sew-along ❤🎉
Thank you, Saira! It is a fascinating but sad story. You're quite welcome. I am looking forward to December too!
As a person who makes quilts I pick and spend my hard earned money, on fabric that appeals to me. Because you asked for our thoughts on this ‘controversy’ - Nothing personal or against ‘African fabric’ but it is not what I like…and that’s ok. It is beautiful and like any work of art we can admire the technique, style, design and colors used by the artist without needing to ‘own’ it let buy it, and we need to remember that quilters are fabric artists.
My opinion also: I don’t agree with some people’s comments that you may be appropriating a culture - really? - it’s a product that is for sale and supports the businesses that produced it as well as the workers. Don’t buy it or use it and no one will benefit from the beauty. It’s your personal choice and as my wonderful Mum used to say “If you can’t say anything nice…don’t say anything at all.”
Thank you for your very thorough explanation. Subscribed❤
Thank you, Speak Truth Be Kind. Welcome to the channel. The bright colors and bold prints will not appeal to everyone, for sure. It is best to buy what you like. Art is subjective. I agree that buying something on sale and supporting the business is a personal choice.
Yep! Capitalism trumps Culturalism. If it was "sacred" or restricted to any one culture, it would not be offered for sale worldwide.
“The fabrics get along.” That is definitely the lesson.
Yes, the fabrics get along! We can all get along too.
The stoics say, stop worrying about stuff you can't control. I'd let this controversy go. Who cares what other people think?
The only question you should be asking is whether you like the fabric or not.
"Oh you don't like me using this fabric... I'm sorry you feel that way. Anyway...then go about your business".
Great philosophy. I love the fabric and am going to use them.
In South Africa it is known as shwe shwe. And it is well loved. The black people will sometimes make a whole outfit from it - headscarf, jacket and skirt. It looks absolutely gorgeous. I have bought some to add to a denim skirt. You have to wash it in very hot water to get the starch out. One of the factories that makes it in South Africa is Da Gama Fabrics. And this is called Three Cats Shwe Shwe. It Is not very wide though. Only abou 90cm. But the come in gorgeous colors and patterns
Thank you for this information! I didn't realize that this fabric looks like shwe shwe. Are you in South Africa As more people get exposed to production techniques and designs of other cultures, there is often blending. Originally shwe shwe was indigo and used a printing technique, but I know it is available in other colors now too. And the Ankara fabric was originally wax block prints, and now they use a printing technique too. From my distance and inexperience, I don't really know how to tell them apart.
Wow! I'm sorry folks got all nasty about the African fabric. It's just beautiful. Thanks for sharing. You did educate me. I appreciate it.
Thank you, Ddawe. I find the history of this fabric fascinating, but it is difficult to learn the real history because of the conflicting information.
Thank you so much for this interesting video.
I buy scraps of what I had previously referred to as African fabrics, and might now refer to as ‘African Fabrics’ from tailors in Africa that a friend brings back from trips there. I use them in bags, quilts and wall hangings. I use them because I love the colours and I try not to waste any material. I also use old tablecloths, old curtains and old clothing - often my husband’s shirts that have gone through at the cuffs and beyond repair jeans. I do it partly to keep costs down and partly to reduce the carbon footprint of the textile industry by preventing cotton, and cotton type fabrics going into landfill.
That is great that you get fabrics from tailors that you can use in your projects. Avoid waste is great!🌍
Thank you for your calm, clear teaching of the history of this type of fabric.
I appreciate you saying that. You are welcome!
This beautiful fabric represents an African sensibility, made by Africans, for Africans. It makes sense to me that we call it African.
I agree. My high school t-shirt still represents my school no matter where it was made.
It seems like we have been standing on the shoulders of other people for as long as we have been a people. I don’t know if that is wrong. Sharing ideas is also a way of bringing people together. It is a shame though when something beautiful and meaningful becomes mass produced and cheaply made or in a way hijacked to the point where the origin is lost. We can sometimes recognize these products and avoid buying them. We can also try to pass on the origin of the art along with the idea much like you are doing. It is complicated and there will be many different thoughts on the subject.
It is a complex topic for sure. I love what you said about standing on the shoulders of other people. So true.
Well done video. I sew garments. I was worried about cultural appropriation, but feel that I have been encouraged to use Ankara, as long as I'm not using something that has a traditional meaning. Several of the black sewists on social media host events like Ankara month or challenges where you make something designed by black designers. They want their art to be successful and appreciated, which means seeking a wider audience. FYI, my go to for Ankara is House of Mami Wata. I stay away from Kente cloth because that does feel like cultural appropriation. African-American owned fabric stores are rare. In the last few years, we've lost the beautiful store, Melanated Fabrics. So yes, let's send them some love! Respect.
I agree with Kente cloth. It does look like the cloth itself has special meaning. That looks like a great source, thank you for sharing that. They are in the U.S. I haven't seen these designs. Here's the link House of Mami Wata
houseofmamiwata.com/collections/ankara-fabrics-2
I will add it to the video description too, so it doesn't get lost among the comments.
I added that store to the video description. Thank you for sharing. I will have to look for these challenges.
I love your comment that world peace exists in your quilt 🤗💟
Thank you, Catherine! World peace starts at home!
@@shelina_virjee yes it does! 🙋♀️💟
I think you are right on. Thanks for explaining , i love learning about different cultures . We are all so unique and everyone has their own talents that we can share with others. Peace on earth!!
Thank you, Marcia! I love learning about different cultures too. Peace on earth! 🌍
When it comes to making things, I really don’t care what culture it came from and I’m gonna use it anyway please. I sleep very good at night.
Yes, you can use these prints and sleep well at night. It is a good way to honor the culture.
I just found you and appreciate that you have taken the time to educate your viewers - me included - as this is rare. I appreciate you immensely.
You are welcome! Thank you for watching and for your kind comment.
Right on! So happy to have tuned in to your wisdom and knowledge!
Thanks, Veronica! I enjoyed watching your charm pack quilt video too. You look like you have a lot of fun sewing, and the fabrics you used are so beautiful too! ✂
Shelina, I learn so much from your videos like this. I appreciate how respectful and inclusive you want to be. I looked for the link to where you bought the fabric but didn't see it in the description box. I was so impressed with the quilt you made, the gorgeous, vibrant fabrics in the video and your thoughtfulness and respectful demeanor in the original video. I will need to go back and look there for fabric source. I haven't sewn garments in years but would love a couple caftans made out of this type of vibrant colorful fabric to wear during the soon to arrive winter moody weather days. Your channel brings me joy and I love the mini vacations you take me on. 🤓 Looking forward to fifteen minutes of sewing with everyone in December. And...love your haircut. Have a wonderful day. Thanks for another great video!
Thank you! These fabrics are so vibrant and gorgeous, even with their history. I have added the fabric source to the description box. Thanks for your patience.
Every language carries a culture and a history with it. If the language is lost so is a part of the culture and history. That is a good reason to speak the language you grew up with. Your reasons to use a commonly used language makes perfect sense though. I just like the idea of retaining your language personally. The fabrics are gorgeous.
Thank you, Janice! So true that a culture becomes lost when a language is lost.
Thank you for this very interesting video. There is so much to learn. I love the sentiment that the fabrics get along and it is symbolic of universal peace that can happen. It is a wonderful example of unity and diversity.
You're welcome. So many issues to consider. Universal peace in terms of fabric is the only thing that is within my power.
Wow! Lovely video! Thanks for posting it.
I appreciate your thoughtful sharing about the many aspects of African fabrics. I was aware of some of it from friends who married Africans.
Thank you, Cece! That is wonderful that you can get information straight from the source!
There is a very good video somewhere on TH-cam that gives a comprehensive look at the history and the prices and even how the designs are arrived at, In think there are new ones every year. It is fascinating and a start to understanding the cultural significance. Some of these patterns are seriously expensive and the are prized by their owners as reminders of big events both public and private.
That does sound like a fascinating video. I will have to look for it. I did view a bunch of videos about these fabrics but don't think I came across that one.
Such eloquence! The same kind of questions come up around Native American teachings, beadwork, etc. I have an African fabric source in Europe, but I can't pay the shipping. To drool is free. Thank you for making this informative video!
Thank you, Mimi. You're so right, the same questions are raised around all sorts of cultures. I hope you can find a source at a more reasonable price.
I love your quilt ! All of those fabrics are dramatic and beautiful 😍😍😍😍😍
Thank you Santa Green, that quilt was a lot of fun to make! It was quite interesting to see how it changed with the addition of each new fabric.
Great explanation of the fabric history Shelina . Such beautiful fabric😊
Thank you, April! 😊It really is.
Thank you for educating me on the types of Africa fabric. The colors are beautiful.🦩
You are welcome! There is so much more for me to learn!
I appreciate and agree with your points. You truly have knowledge on this tricky subject. I work with these fabrics often. My roots are West African and I feel African Fabric is appropriate. The art and soul of the fabric is African and that is what I will call it. Colonialization is a beast. Sometimes our roots are tangled up in bloody soil. The Africans that love these fabrics have gifted the world with this beauty...not the Dutch. My very humble opinion.
Thanks, Strictly Scraps. I saw your video of your beginning of your wall hanging. I look forward to seeing what you do with it. Did you applique the face to the fabric you first showed, or did it come that way?
"sometimes our roots are tangled up in bloody soil" is so true. Dang. Thanks for these words. 😓💜
@@catie5939This is true for every inch of this Earth.
@@nonamegivenatbirth We're not talking about everywhere right now. We're talking about one place and one thing. Not everything is about everywhere.
Touching grass is important for everyone, even those of us who are getting older. Maybe you'd like to take a walk?
@@nonamegivenatbirth we're talking about one place, and one thing. Not every inch of the earth?
I would LOVE to have some of this beautiful fabric for sewing.
Isn't it so beautiful? I have included the shop's link in the description box. It is relatively inexpensive, compared to quilting cotton. Maybe I will include it in the prize drawing for the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge.
Fun fact: hawaiian shirts, those big bold prints we all know and love, were actually started by a Japanese tailor living in Hawaii who used the leftover Japaneses fabrics from other projects (I think he made kimono for the other migrants there) to create western-style shirts. As it turned out, the other people in Hawaii absolutely loved the prints and style of the shirts and started buying them, and the shirts became popular, then a fad, then made it big. Over the years it turned into the shirts with prints like the famous pineapple prints (which by the way are not native to the islands in the first place) and palm trees, et ctr et ctr.
I knew there was a Japanese influence to Hawaiian designs, but didn't know this information. Thanks!
@@shelina_virjee It's easily looked up if you want to know more. It's been a while since I read up on it myself.
There is so much to learn about everything. I will definitely look into Hawaiian fabric.
Thanks for this discussion. If we all treated each other better, and shared the wealth of the world more, we could feel so much better using these ethnic designs. I thought we were on the way to celebrating everyone, and enjoying the richness of the variety of talents contributed. Why did everything get so icky and uncomfortable? Because of the backwards people who refuse to go forward! I LOVE beautiful printed fabric, but have backed off of using a lot of it if it felt too ethnic, and maybe would upset someone because I used it without being entitled to it. I hope we will recover from this era, and again start moving towards each other with acceptance, love, and celebration!
If you are using fabric to celebrate everyone, it is perfectly fine to use it.
Thank you for sharing an interesting issue which was new to me.
I wish it had lots of pictures of different fabrics while keeping the discussion running. That would use the format of video to its advantage rather then an audio showing the speaker. Thanks 🙏🏻
Thanks for watching! And thank you for your feedback. I agree, seeing more of the fabric would keep the video more interesting. I am a fairly new TH-cam creator so I am still working out the right balance. If you want to see more of the fabric, my other video, How To Use African Fabric for Quilting does have a lot more of the fabric and less of me. I am making another video that shows all of my latest fabric too (the stack I showed in the thumbnail and beginning of the video) so stay tuned for that.
@@shelina_virjee I will 😊🙏🏻
TH-cam recommended you today. So glad! Very interesting and informative.
I love African fabrics but have never used any yet. So much to look forward to!
That's great, Kathleen. Thanks for letting me know. I love finding uses for these fabrics. They are so pretty!
"The fabrics get along so that is what matters" ❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks for watching, Karen!
I am interested in hearing from people of color how you feel about this usage of these fabrics. I have made several beautiful quilts with African fabrics. I am not a person of color. Thank you for the video and conversation.
You are welcome. I was worried about that too at first.
Do you also use shweshwe fabric? That was my first introduction to the global term "African" fabric.
No I haven't used any other type of African fabric besides Ankara. The last batch I bought were not all wax block prints, so I don't know what to call them, but they weren't shweshwe.
This was really informative. Thanks
I also appreciate your honesty that you didn’t know what the working conditions were. I’m curious if the manufacturing information is on the selvage like some brands.
Thank you J! Most of them don't have any names on them. I don't research the brands of any of the other products I buy either, and they (including American ones) might also be guilty of wrongdoing without my knowledge.
@@shelina_virjee I haven’t either. When you brought it up, I realized that it wasn’t even on my radar. I think I’ll start looking up things before I buy new. I love my local quilt shop and shopping from a small business has been so nice. She’s talked about why she selects certain fabrics and she’s mindful of the artists/designers. That isn’t the luxury everyone has though.
Thanks again for your insightful video
Pay no mind to the haters. The more people buy and appreciate'African' fabric, the more people celebrate each other. It's not like you aren't acknowledging the source. 🥰
Thank you, Lucia! I love that more people can celebrate each other.
I think you tackled this well. It's messy and awkward. There are a lot of issues involved. If we, as human beings, living in a global world that's much more interconnected than Generations pass, then we are going to have to start looking at what is happening and what has happened in the past. No one said this would be easy or comfortable. I think people want it to be easy and comfortable, but it's not. One makes decisions how about language, about naming, that may not be perfect, but one still makes the effort.
I would rather share a discussion of this, rather than pretend that the past didn't happen, and that it has not had effects, both good and bad today.
For me, there is a basic question that often tells me if cultural appropriation is happening. Are the creators of the music, the craft, the art, the technique, sharing in the wealth of the technique? Or is everybody else making money but the people who developed it? Recently I was looking for an Indian, or South Asian recipe. 90% of the people putting out the videos for those recipes were not from India or Pakistan or Bangladesh.
Thank you so much for your comment. I was hoping to make people aware of these issues and I am glad that at least for you, I did that. You are right, it has to do with who is getting the wealth, the creator or someone else. That is interesting about the recipe, there are a lot of South Asians who have recipe channels and I love to watch them. What was the recipe? I wonder if it is an Americanized version.
It is not appropriation if you are acknowledging the source.
It has to do with who is earning the revenue. If I steal a design from your culture and make the money that you would have earned, then I think that it is appropriation. I don't know now though since it has been happening for so long how to fix that.
You are a beautiful lady im happy to have found you and your channel I have learned so much thank you I just subscribed 💕
Welcome, Dorothy! Thanks for subbing!
I have made two African quilts. One was gifted to an African friend and one to an Anfrican AMerican friend. They loved them.
That is lovely. I have a new Facebook page, Quilt and Color, if you would like to share them. I'd love to see them.
Im from the Philippines, and our local fabric industry isn't as prolific anymore due to fast fashion. I would be delighted, im sure our local weavers would be, too, if our local fabrics were used by foreign artists to make beautiful things! Mixing cultures always makes interesting art
Yes, it is nice that we can support the weavers who make the fabric. You are right, the art is more interesting when the cultures are mixed.
Another factor to consider: much of what you see, especially if it is cheap, is Chinese-made; not wooden block printed, usually thinner, and usually a cotton-poly mix, I think.
There are some African-owned companies making this cloth in Africa, but I don't know how available their product is overseas.
While I'd love to buy the pricier classic Vlisco designs, I have to admit that most of my hoard of 'wax print African fabric' is probably Chinese imitation.
I hadn't considered that they could be printed in China. That is a possibility. I hadn't thought that they might have poly either. I did notice that some of these do not look dyed (there are white spots left on the back) and are probably not block printed either. They probably do use cheaper production techniques to make them cheaply. Thanks for watching and thanks for your comment, Helen!
I always wondered how wax prints were made. I love them, they are so exciting. I have a skirt but am now afraid to wear it. Or at least I was !!!!
They certainly are beautiful! Wear your skirt proudly!
I think a quilt with the African continent would be amazing. Each country a different fabric swatch.
That is a great idea! I am going to write it down so I remember. I don't know which fabric comes from which country, but hopefully that wouldn't matter.
I watched this based on the headline “controversy about African fabrics”. I don’t quilt but I have dolls (mainly Barbie but some 15” also) I have several Barbies that are described as African American and black skin tones that look stunning when dressed in African prints. I just wish that there were manufacturers out there who produced their prints in miniature scales - but in the absence of such I look for prints that have a lot of small patterns within the overall design.
You're right, these designs would look wonderful scaled down. I am about to make a small block which needs a smaller print, but I am going to do as you suggest, find a part of the overall pattern that will work in that space.
I learned so much watching this video. Nicely done.
Thank you, LaVonne! Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for explaining and clarifying it Shelina. I love some patterns there, period. Others i dislike but that's just a personal opinion. Each one is a piece of art by itself ❤
Yes, exactly. Each fabric is a work of art, and all art appeals to some and not to others. That is the nature of art. Thank you for watching and for your comment.
Thank you for this fascinating discussion.🤗
You are welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it! It is fascinating to me too.
Interesting. One might make the point that perhaps the fabrics, dying, and weaving, etc. would not have been available to Africa without the colonialism that is just as controversial. I love the patterns regardless of origin. Were the designers of these prints African? The factories and dyes African? Such controversies always have huge issues. I’ve never been a US farmer, cowboy, factory worker, or miner but I love creating with denim. If fact, I claim it is racist for any other country to wear denim! Joking, of course.
Well Dmar, you added a whole new controversy to stir the pot. 🍯It's true though that without colonialism, the mixture of Indonesian techniques and African designs may never have happened, or would have taken a long time to happen. I don't know who the designers were, but I do know from the comments that there are Indonesian and African cultural designs that are in these fabrics.
The problem is that colonialists were very mean to their colonies. Their resources were taken, the people were exploited and people from the colonies were killed. Some of the stories are very shocking and sad. The colonialists stole the wealth of the country, leaving them in worse shape, and the aftereffects are devastating and still continue today.
@@shelina_virjee That part, no one is arguing. Just adding that any outlook cannot be applied to other situations as well. Insight is required. I love the patterns regardless of origin. I also appreciate them if they are from a specific country.
Thank you for this information. I think it is so kind of you to take the time to explain about the process of making these various culture and beautiful fabrics. Because you find something beautiful from another culture and wish to use those items in your craft, hobby, or art isn't taking away from that culture but instead sharing the beauty you find. The ironic part --- as an American, it's a very American cultural thing to manufacture "controversy" and unfortunately this is an example of this misguided practice. I wish we could all handle our desire to be proud of our origins by way of education and sharing vs judgement or jumping to conclusions about someone's intent. You did nothing wrong and are not responsible for actions of past generations though it was very educational of you to include information in your video to explain why others commented as they had. We can only move forward and treat each other with love and kindness in our lives which you have certainly done by handling this situation as you have. Nicely done and very informative. Again - thank you for this information.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Sherry! It is great that you are sharing this positive perspective.
The manufacturer in the Netherlands has been making this fabric for almost 200 years. Traveling there last year i couldnt find the material in any of the shops I visited. Learned too late there is a Vlisco factory shop in Helmond. Apparently most fabrics are exported.
Thank you for confirming what I heard. That Vlisco manufactures in the Netherlands, but most of the fabric is exported to Africa (and probably other places now too). Do you see Dutch influences in the fabric, or is it mostly African designs?
I make quilts to donate. Many of these quilts go to African Americans, so I wanted to use at least one African type fabric in the quilt. Unfortunately, I cannot afford most of the African fabrics that I see, so very little will get used in my quilts.
These fabrics I bought are cheaper than regular cotton. I think the ones made in Holland are likely to be more expensive. The shop links in the description box are not affiliate links, but you will be able to see their prices there.
The Dutch company called Vlisco makes these fabrics. Indeed they tried to sell it to a Dutch market but it wasn’t selling so they tried another market, Africa. They liked the colors and the Quality! It's still made in the Netherlands and designed in the Netherlands. I'm sure they also work with Africa designers as well for projects because they do have different expositions and styles. There are copies from china that are lower quality but still ok quality. Likely there are local factors making their own products and own designs.
Thank you for this information, Michelle! Why do you think the Dutch market wasn't buying these fabrics? Is it because the colors are too bright? You are the second person who mentioned quality. Do you think the fabric quality was inferior? Do you think they used African designers from the very beginning? Another commenter also mentioned the fabric was also made in China.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome! I am glad you enjoyed it.
If I tossed out everything in my closet that had roots in some other culture, all I would have left is a few t-shirts. Even something as American as blue jeans are made from denim and denim originated in France.
That is so true, plus it would be a lot of work just to do all that research. I just hope that the designers and makers of the fabric get most of the profits for their work.
I didn't think this is much of a controversy.
This is a wonderful education on the history of these fabrics tho, so thank you for sharing this! And I agree on using the language of the people you purchased the fabric from vs a broader term, especially if you are buying from regionally local manufacturers/sellers.
But if the commenter wants to avoid all things with any history of colonialism, they are gonna have to move to Mars or something. Colonialism touched every place on the globe in one way or another. Part of recovering from that harm is reclaiming things like these fabrics for the local cultures.
That is so true. Colonialism has touched pretty much everything. All we can do is helping recover the harm by trying to buy directly from the culture.
I don’t believe the designer thought “I’m designing this for African people only.”
That is true. The Dutch did try to sell the fabric in the Netherlands first, but it was the Africans who bought more of it.
Use whatever is beautiful and makes you happy. Let other ppl be bothered.
Not your problem.
Yes, thank you. These fabrics do make me happy.
I was given some f African print fabric from a customer of mine because he knew that I sewed clothing and other things there was also an African import shop near my house that was woman owned, and I would buy Fabric there. She didn’t know a lot about the fabric and couldn’t advise me on anything about it. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to support small independent shops, especially women owned, but if you actually use things from the shops, then it’s cultural appropriation. I was watching one of the indigenous TH-cam channels I follow and someone was asking “I am not native American/indigenous. Can I buy one of your shirts and wear it?” And I think the most “ he said it’s not cultural appropriation, it’s cultural appreciation”. And he said as long as you’re respectful, even if you make mistakes, it’s OK. And yes. The African print fabrics are Dutch wax print.
That is great that you have access to the fabric, and you should certainly be able to use them as an appreciation of the culture.
Sometimes people see these prints as religious because people don’t know much about its history and various usage. Beautiful prints and nice to see both sexes wearing colorful and beautiful prints showing pride in themselves. 🙏💕
That's true. It doesn't seem like most of them are religious, but if you don't know the pattern, then it is hard to know for sure. They are beautiful.
Informative. Thank you!
Thank you, Nancy!
Please just use the fabrics the way you want, it’s called freedom, you know there are people out there that complain about everything, you could be making something special instead of worrying about who made the fabric, who can use the fabric, how to use the fabric, it’s exhausting! I enjoyed you telling about the history of the fabrics and techniques!
Thank you, Janice! I will definitely use the fabric. I found the history of the fabric very interesting and I wanted to share it with everyone.
Create new harmony by blending fabric
Good idea!
I was given some f African print fabric from a customer of mine because he knew that I sewed clothing and other things there was also an African import shop near my house that was woman owned, and I would buy Fabric there. She didn’t know a lot about the fabric and couldn’t advise me on anything about it. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to support small independent shops, especially women owned, but if you actually use things from the shops, then it’s cultural appropriation. I was watching one of the indigenous TH-cam channels I follow and someone was asking “I am not native American/indigenous. Can I buy one of your shirts and wear it?” And I think the most “ he said it’s not cultural appropriation, it’s cultural appreciation”. And he said as long as you’re respectful, even if you make mistakes, it’s OK.
I agree. It is appreciation if you are buying and using what you buy respectfully..
Tweed, Denim, Calico,Gingham, Paisley patterns, plaid and tartan, silk..just about everything we wear has been culturally appropriated at some time. Including the suit and tie, worn all over the world.
I didn't think about those patterns, but you are right, they are taken from particular cultures and used everywhere now.
I love these bright coloured fabric. When I see this type of printed fabric I think it is African prints on fabric. You bought it, you use however you see fit. Ignore the fabric police. You can't please everyone, so don't try. Delete them if you can? Looking forward to seeing your beautiful quilts!
I love them too. Thank you Robert and Mary Ann. I do intend to use them. I am not deleting them because I do value hearing their opinion. I just wanted to explain my thoughts in the video.
Very thoughtful video
Thank you SewHealthy!
The original fabric now called African design were originally designed bythe Dutch . But, the fabric is beautiful even when it is cut.
They don't look like the other Dutch designs I have seen, but I wasn't there when it happened, so I don't know. It certainly is beautiful.
Thank you for this powerful video.
You are so welcome, Torirochleau. Thank you for watching!
I live in The Netherlands and the fabric called Dutch wax is produced in Helmond by a firm called Vlisco. Therefore it is also called Vlisco fabric. When the Dutch colonialised Indonesia they found batiks there and so in the 19th century they tried the procedure in Holland hoping to sell it in Indonesia. The Brits did something like that in Manchester and sold their printed fabric in India. The Indonesians were, however, not impressed by the designs , as Indonesian traditional batik is often more refined. The Dutch then found a better market in West Africa so that established the export there. I have understood that the Africans appreciate the quality of the Dutch wax print fabrics and that is why it is still shipped there, for dress making mainly.
I guess all trade was and is influenced by colonialism, also coffee, tea, chocolate etc unfortunately.
I think it is okay to use these fabrics outside Africa and also for quilts. In my opinion it would only be cultural appropriation if you make and or wear something and claim it is or makes you really African. Unless you are African, of course.
We are all entitled to our own opinions, but we don't have the right to force those on others
Thank you for your information. I didn't realize that the Dutch were trying to sell the fabric to Indonesia. I thought they were trying to sell in The Netherlands. You are the not the first person who has mentioned quality. What is it about the quality of the fabric that is different? My understanding is that the Vlisco fabric is more expensive than regular quilting fabric.
@@shelina_virjee The Vlisco fabric is expensive, but fabric in generalnis expensive here. We pay €22 for a metre of quilt fabric.
I saw in a documentary that ladies in West Africa praise Vlisco for the quality, I myself would not be able to say whether the Dutch wax is better than the local African fabric.
@@bierjip1 I think I need to buy some Vlisco fabric so I can compare the quality.
I'm sorry, but I showed my Indonesian stepmother and she had no idea that so many of her traditional cultural designs had been stolen by Africans to use in their prints. Joking, she was delighted and fascinated by African prints - even though some do use Indonesian design motifs which do have deep religious and cultural meanings- was going to show her Indonesian friends. I work at a school that has many African refugees as students (mostly central and eastern countries) and they are delighted when I wear my African print dresses. We all like pretty things, most cultures love to see their clothes and fabric used.
My stepmum frequently buys me traditional batik, beautiful handmade batik fabrics and encourages me to cut them up to make clothes. The African Mums and Dads at our school proudly wear their prints but rarely as whole cloths. And our interpreter clothes - chefs kiss 😘. We also have teacher's of African heritage working at the school that have migrated from Europe or central America and they are just not hung up on this issue.
It makes sense that some of the designs have Indonesian influences since the process came to Africa from Indonesia. All the Indians and Africans I know are delighted to see people of other cultures using their designs. I guess it would have to do with whether you are appreciating, or if you are stealing the designs and earning revenue from them. Thanks for confirming that the people around you also feel the same way.
You going show how you make a quilt from your beautiful mareiai
Yes I am. I will have to make more than one. I have shown some other quilts that I made with African prints on my channel if you are interested.
People have been using plaid fabrics and argyle knits for a mighty long time. I don't recall hearing Scottish people complain.
That's true that those designs have become world wide. Most of the people who earned the money from these designs were Scottish people and descendants of Scottish people, at least initially.
@@shelina_virjee I think both designs are so incredibly old that there's positively no way of saying with complete certainty exactly WHO earned any meaningful sum of money from them. That information, as they say, has been lost to time.
I can’t believe there is even a controversy about this.
There are a lot of controversies about this fabric and I hope that this video has presented some of them in a clear enough manner to at least introduce people to thet opic.
This is an awesome nuanced and informative history of this topic! You are clearly a maker who is well-informed of the creation of fabrics, the history and historical impact of fabric, and are able to appreciate the beauty of designs with those things in mind! I think most people agree that is not cultural appropriation, that is cultural appreciation!
To the people who feel entitled to use every design on the planet (people in the comments saying WHO CARES or saying OK I GUESS EVERY CULTURAL FABRIC IS OFF LIMITS): that attitude is cultural appropriation. that is globalism at its WORST. The problem is commodifying cultures and making cultural artifacts "universal" and devoid of this history. If the history is painful to hear, that is something you need to face. The world doesn't need to hide colonial history to make people comfortable.
There is a difference between saying "I like that fabric, I'm using it because I want to and everyone needs to shut up, I don't want to hear about anyone's opinions but mine" and "I like that fabric, I'm using it, and I'm going to make sure my use of it isn't rude and entitled by learning literally even one thing about it." Or bettter yet, what @shelina did in this video - I have this beautiful fabric and I'm going to teach other people about my knowledge and share resources that other people who are more knowledgeable in other areas have shared.
TLDR the comments are full of neocolonialism, the creator shouldn't be lumped in with that and is going out of her way to NOT culturally appropriate.
Thank you so much for this comment! This is exactly what I was trying to do - bring up the nuance and history of the topic.
@@shelina_virjee I personally learned a lot! I never thought about using these fabrics for quilts. I made my first quilt last year, and it gives me the idea to tell my friends/family to buy some fabric when they travel and ship it back to me so I can make them a memory quilt!
I also had no idea about the history of these prints. I love learning how things are made and hope one day I’m knowledgeable about fabric and stuff! I’m glad TH-cam put this video on my home page 😂
A memory quilt is a great idea! There are a lot of beautiful quilts made with African fabric.
Interesting video!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you think so!
My African fabrics come from a dressmaker in Kenya. I save and uplift scrap.
That is wonderful! A great way to keep valuable things out of the landfills. How did you get in contact with this dressmaker?
@@shelina_virjeea coworker of my husband goes home to Kenya yearly and brings back scraps
@@kathylee1261 That's great that you have that kind of access! Thanks for the information!
On the subject of cultural appropriation- it is only appropriation when there is a negative intention. When for example someone is pretending to have invented something which is part of a culture. When we are using a style from a different culture because we love and admire it, then it is a homage to that culture. This is my view, anyway.
That could be. Thanks for your comment Ms Weaver. I wonder though, if we could accidentally do something wrong without negative intention, just because it was normal at the time. I think that some people who participated in slavery may not have bad intention, they just wanted to make profit and this was the standard way to do it.
Anthony Jones is correct.
About which part? That I shouldn't call them African fabrics? What terminology would you recommend?
Awesome video! Can't wait for the 15-minute quilt challenge in December. One question, I didn't see the link so I can shop for fabric. Any help you can give me wud be appreciated. Thank u
Thanks Joyce! The challenge was so much fun that I am excited about doing it again. Sorry about that, Joyce. I added it now.
Thank you. Love your channel!
Hi Shelina, ! am glad YT suggested your channel to me :-)
I'd like to ask you about something: I am from Central Europe, in my country we are quite homogenous and similar to people from neighbour countries so the problem of appropriating does not occur here (yet?), like wearing African prints here would draw attention because they are so bright and pretty and different from "our" prints, but won't upset anyone, and I truly dont know where is the line... serious question: would a white woman wearing such prints be offensive to tribe whose traditional patterns were used? How about if I wanted to wear a caftan or jewellery? Or maybe there are some colours or symbols holy or cursed or reserved only for the royalty? I want to appreciate other cultures, not appropriate and until now I was sure people from other countries were happy I like their patterns and want to wear them back home :-(
Hi Martha, welcome! That is a great question. I think one of the problems is that there is no one person to ask, since the designs belong to the community usually, or if there is a designer, it is usually an anonymous one. All of the people I know (both Indian and African) who see people who are not a part of their culture wearing and using their designs smile and are pleased that the designs and culture are liked enough to emulate. So I think it would be just fine, but there may be certain things, like uniforms and symbols of religious meaning, which could be wrong to use. You shouldn't wear something like the Pope's robe, or a religious collar, for example. Hard to know which symbols are which, but I would hope that by the time they are fabric, if they are sold to the general public, they would be okay to use.
I think the problem would be if you use them to make money and pass them off as your own. So if you follow copyright laws, I think it might be okay. That is why I don't want to give credit to the Dutch. They took the process from Indonesia and the designs from Africa, and while the fusion is new, it is using designs from Africa without giving them credit and most importantly profit.
@@shelina_virjee thank you so much! When abroad I try to buy things not in tourist shops but rather at 'local people shop there' places so I hope the cuts and patterns weren't offensive per se... on a side note: we adopted Halloween costume parties here and I DID dress up as a nun once ;-)
No outrage caused, just first surprise then hilarity because one of my friends was dressed up as an escort and other was wearing a leopard print onesie complete with ears and tail so people stared into our uber quite a lot!
That is true, for Halloween, those rules can be broken. That sounds like quite the sight, an escort, a leopard and a nun. 💃✝🐆
Obviously the person who opposed cutting up these gorgeous fabrics doesn't sew 😂!
True, You would have to cut them in some way to make them the size you need for your project.
Culturally speaking I am both first Nations and Prussian Mennonite. We have this head scarf called the Kokum that is very gorgeous. However, due to the saturation of Islamic communities in my area I can't wear it without being associated with them. It is very frustrating and disheartening that I can't wear something from my culture because of how other cultures interpret it as being appropriation. Cultures are meant to be shared and enjoyed. And it's very sad to me when people can't wear something that is legitimately from their culture without being accused of appropriation of others.
Is it the Muslims who are telling you that you can't wear the Kokum, or is it you can't wear it because you don't want people to think you are Muslim because you are wearing a head scarf? I haven't heard any Muslims say anything negative about other people wearing a head scarf. Many other cultures use head scarfs, and yours is likely different because of the design and the way you wear it.
@@shelina_virjee I live in very liberal Washington State, and cultural appropriation is one of the biggest sins in the eyes of society. I don't see anyone else wearing a kokum even amongst the native American peoples. There are a lot of native American people here. But it's because of how populous the Muslim community is that I don't wear it because I'm a Christian, not a Muslim, and I don't want to be mistaken to be one of them.
@@shelina_virjee there is this one knitting channel that condemns people for wearing a balaclava because of how much like her culture it looks. That is a very common sentiment amongst the Muslims in the yarn art community.
@@skeinofadifferentcolor2090 That is awful. Maybe she doesn't know that people of other cultures also wear head coverings. She may be one of the few people who think that way and maybe you wound up meeting them and not the others who don't feel that way.
by not knowing you might be helping out the wrong hands. there are wax print made in Africa in cotton and polyester but the biggest company making this and most attractive are made by Vlisco with high quality cotton woven and printed in Holland and there is another version of 100% cotton made in china but printed in Holland. by this moment is just a matter of lazy ingenuity which i tend to find from most DIYers vs. actual textile designers. the work is knowing and inten😢tion. just a reminder to me just buying something like this just because it's nice doesn't relate to my reality of having to tell a story with the materials i use. i would be careless to think that something is meaningful and important just by the look of it.
Thanks for that information. I am learning every day!
We gotta get rid of this cultural appropriation nonsense. We've verbally weaponized appreciation and adoption of ideas.
Creativity is human. C'mon now.
It is a fine line, isn't it. Borrowing and adopting ideas, or taking over a culture. Some ideas wind up being universal, spontaneously cropping up throughout the globe.
Sure just ignore colonialism and the devastating impact it has on their victims
@@shelina_virjee Like blood diamonds and child slavery in cobalt mines and cacao plantations. It's just a matter of opinions.
This is definitely not something that is a matter of opinion. Colonialism, slavery, blood diamonds, cacoa plantations, holocaust and wars. Human beings have certainly found so many ways to be awful to each other. That is why I wanted to bring up the history in this video. I hope I didn't sound like I was minimizing it. We should be aware of the history. And it would be nice if we could learn from it and stop being so cruel. Do you think we shouldn't use the fabric because of its history? So much of what we use, including cotton in general, is stained with a bad history.
As a Dutch person: I really don't think we deserve to have these beautiful fabrics named for us. These fabrics aren't in common use here, they haven't become part of our cultural history either. At least not any more than slavery has and I should *HOPE* we've moved on from that being a part of our living culture. Dutch colonists may have facilitated the cross pollination of technique and style that made these possible, but neither wax printing nor the colorful styles are Dutch. Don't give us this one.
Thank you, Treegona, for your comment. I was hoping that I didn't offend Dutch people when I said that I don't want to call this Dutch fabric. We can thank the Dutch for introducing this technique to Africa, but that is about it. Do you know if the original fabric used Indonesian, Dutch or African designs? Did they start out with African designs from the very beginning?
@@shelina_virjee I can't say that I know, but I don't recognize any typical Dutch elements in the designs of the fabrics I've seen.
@@Treegona Okay thank you. I didn't see a lot of Dutch influence in the fabric, but I wasn't sure.
A friend grew up in Indonesia. She pronounces “batik” as BAH-tik, emphasis on the first syllable. I try, in my small way, to pronounce names as they should be in the original language.
That is really sweet. I do that with city names when I can.
@@shelina_virjee Exactly. Countries, foods, etc. even if I can’t speak the language, I try to show respect.