The African Textile Industry - 1982 Words

The African textile industry dates back to as far as 5,000 B.C when the Egyptians engaged in cloth making; their clothing were simple, and did not differ a lot between social classes. A fast-forward to the times when the African empires of Ghana and Mali reigned shows particular colors and cloths being solely used for royalty and nobles. A further look into present day Africa and we see a society where the textile industry has blossomed, and specific designs and techniques of textile making have become unique to particular regions and tribes. For instance, the Kente is distinct to the Ewe and Ashanti peoples of Ghana, the Yoruba of Nigeria are known for their ornate designs, and the mud cloth is exclusive to Mali. The continent of Africa boasts an array of flamboyant as well as simple designs that are either hand woven, or machine spun. African textiles are highly differentiated, and the weavers are skilled intellects with great mathematical and creative skill despite the, â€Å"Eur ocentric conception of Africa as a dark continent and its people as uncivilized.† (Africa, 7) In the African culture today, clothing is not simply used as protection, or to showcase individual style; instead, clothing serves as a communicative mechanism, telling stories of wealth and social class, stories of belonging to a particular tribe, religion, or region, tales of ancestral ties, and even vital past events. In past times, it was only a wealthy man that could wear cloth that was colored becauseShow MoreRelatedThe Culture And Customs Of Ghana1714 Words   |  7 Pages Textile industry for centuries has played an important role in most West African societies. It has been also a form of art that can give us information about the history of African’s countries. The materials used, the patterns, and the colors of the clothes can be associated with specific communities. For example, Kente clothes are made from cotton, silk, and raffia. Salm and Falola claim that, The cultures and customs of Ghana today are a product of diversity in indigenous form, influenced byRead MoreBook Review and Questions: The Walgreens T-Shirt1330 Words   |  5 Pagessharecropping cotton?) Because they have to purchase the seed from Monsanto, they are subject to a virtual monopoly. Although their production efficiencies may increase, they are likely to lose their margins. What is the difference between West African cotton farmers and Texas cotton farmers in terms of the role of the government? The government has little influence in production in Africa yet in Texas entire towns are kept running by government funding. Without this funding these towns would probablyRead MoreRole Of The United States On The Age Of Globalization1241 Words   |  5 PagesStates in textile and apparel production in the age of globalization and will provide an overview of trade agreements enacted in the textile and apparel industry. A discussion of the different trade agreements and how the U.S. textile and apparel industry has been affected by those agreements will be given along with ideas about what the United States can do to continue to operate in the domestic market of textiles and apparel. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES TEXTILE AND APPAREL INDUSTRY The AmericanRead MoreAmerican History: The Development of the Ironwork Industry in Alabama1088 Words   |  5 Pagesavoid the topic of widespread manufacturing industries in the south, and their simultaneous development with the much more powerful agricultural industry. 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All three of these factors;Read MoreHistory Of Cotton Cultivation And Production1425 Words   |  6 Pages making cotton useful to make a number of textile products. Since cotton is used and produced on such a widespread industry, cotton’s largest producers are China and India. However; the largest exporters of raw cotton are the United States and Africa. The advancement in cotton textile industries, and the worldwide vast cultivation of the crop is the product of human demand towards the farming, production, and export of cotton. The global cotton industry is distinguished by its abundant industrialRead MoreThe Atlantic And East Asian Colonization1074 Words   |  5 Pagescontroversy, the battle for economic superiority. Primarily, economics was a key component in why Atlantic and East Asian colonization was dissimilar. For example, the Atlantic colonies were sugar based and East Asian colonies relied on the textile industry. 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WithRead MoreThe Effect of the Second Hand Clothing Industry on the Development of Africa Economies3836 Words   |  16 PagesLocal textile and garment industries cannot compete with second hand clothes because not only do their prices have to reflect the cost of materials and production but they do not have the added appeal of being modern. Most of the appeal of second hand clothes stems from an African mentality that everything western is better and than local producers cannot produce fashionable and durable clothing. A look at the economic development of the western world and asia shows that the textile industry is aRead MoreConsequences of the American Civil Rights Act of 19641192 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Civil Rights Act of 1968 that banned discrimination in terms of the sale or rental of housing. When Obama’s predecessor Lyndon Johnson signed the Act into law on July 2nd 1964, the two driving forces behind the act where discrimination against African-Americans and wome n. However, the expansion of economic opportunity as a consequence of this very equality was eventually the decisive motivation for the Congress to put the act through . Fifty years later, we arouse the following question: â€Å"What