Black Material Geographies - Episode 2
Precolonial Textile Cultures, Pt.2
In this episode of Black Material Geographies, Teju Adisa-Farrar speaks with:
Tarik Farrar, author of Precolonial African Material Culture: Combatting Stereotypes of Technological Backwardness
Tahir Carl Karmali, Brooklyn-based Kenyan artist whose art focuses on the extraction of natural materials from Africa and who benefits from it
Traditional Textiles & Contemporary Conversations
Tahir touches on barkcloth, and iron working cultures in Africa as far back as 500 BC
Mud Cloth originated in what is now known as Mali and dates back to the 12th century
Textile manufacturing in tropical Africa has a long history, as textiles were made for tribal use for centuries. Tarik delves into the textile making with looms and dyeing process in precolonial Africa.
Africa also has a long history of resources being stripped from the land. Cobalt is a current example as a large amount is taken from The Democratic Republic of the Congo to produce cell phone batteries.
Teju explains the tragedy known as The Rubber Terror, where 10 million Congolese people were killed for the extraction of natural rubber to bring to the West
Kuba Cloth as Modern Art Form
Tahir discusses his installation, STRATA, and his view of textiles and how they are a part of human architecture, as they immediately reference the body.
Kuba textiles are made from plants that grow naturally in the region. Raffia, a type of palm tree, is one of those plants. The leaves are dried, woven, then beaten. Tahir explains how this cloth is used for room dressing and ceremonial use.
Manufactured vs Traditional Method: Learn how to spot the differences in quality as Tahir explains how weaving and texture of Kuba cloths are drastically impacted when manufactured in factories.
Tarik shares more from his book, and tackles the stereotype of black inferiority by highlighting Africa’s history of achievements
Guests
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Tarik Farrar
Tarik Farrar is an Oakland-based historical anthropologist with a focus in West Africa (also Teju’s father!).
Tarikhu Farrar's interest in the history of Africa and the African Diaspora had its origins in the rise of the Black Conciousness Movement of the late 1960s. Tarikhu was in his mid-teens at the time and very much an activist during this intellectural and cultural period. As an avid reader, he read everything he could get his hands on concerning "Black History." Only years later did her pursue formal academic training, receiving his baccalaureate degree from Harvard University and a PhD in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. He taught African and African-American Studies for more than thirty years. Tarikhu's teaching experience began at U.C. Berkeley, before joining the faculty at City College of San Francisco where he taught for twenty-eight years. This, in a very real sense, allowed him to return to his roots.
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Tahir Carl Karmali
is a Brooklyn-based Kenyan artist whose art focuses on the extraction of natural materials from Africa and who benefits from it.