Mudcloth, or bogolan in the local language, is a unique African textile. Producing this cotton fabric is an ancient home-craft, and the finished mudcloths are an authentic traditional art form. Making mudcloth is a long process:
- cotton is planted and harvested
- cotton fiber is collected, cleaned and hand-spun into thread
- thread is woven into strips of cloth on traditional hand-looms
- strips are sewn into large panels
- fabric panels are dyed by soaking in decoctions of leaves and bark
- patterns of clay-rich mud are applied with sticks and brushes; one mud-application and one dye-bath are required for each successive shade of color.
Each piece of mudcloth is entirely hand-made and unique, there are no exact duplicates, even when the same pattern is replicated by the same artisan.
Standard size: each piece is approximately 115 cm x 175 cm
(45 inches x 68 inches)
Visit Mali and shop for mudcloth.
Request your own Textile Tour of Mali – visit traditional spinners, weavers and dyers, and see authentic fabrics being made the traditional way !
Bamako, Mali
West Africa
Telephone +223 6673 1631
tours@sagatours.com
See www.sagatours.com to arrange a tour of Mali — the best adventure travel in West Africa !
