FIA Press – Afrosymbology is inspired by Adire, which is an ‘indigo-dyed starch resist’ method of textile production originating from the Yorubas in the South West of Nigeria. It is a name coined from two Yoruba words – ‘Adi’ meaning to tie and ‘re’ which means to dye. Most of the processes were traditionally carried out by women and girls and the patterned motifs of Adire Eleko were taught by mothers to daughters within dyeing families from generation to generation. This rare skill set in the art of dyeing was originally an entirely female craft thereby empowering the women economically. They expertly applied the know how acquired through shadowing and apprenticeship; creating symbols and motifs which preserved oral traditions, cultural norms and ancient proverbs. Following her successful exhibition and installation at the newly opened Art Academy London, Triptych bankside, Yéga saw the enthusiasm and need for authentically crafted narratives of our heritage crafts and a voice for those who still create them though largely lacking an enabling environment. It ran a 10 day schedule as part of London Design Festival, and is in the process of opening at a new location in Mayfair, London for Black History Month 2024.
Shot on location in Lagos and Abeokuta, the film features the world renowned textile artist Chief Nike Davies- Okundaye, interviewed at her gallery in Lekki, Lagos. The renewed interest in Adire via the Nigerian fashion scene makes this film a timely and much needed expose on Nigerian textile craft culture.
As Nigeria celebrates her 64th year of independence, it’s more imperative than ever to reclaim the narrative of our own artistic and textile heritage. With the “unapologetically Yoruba”, John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, opening in Lagos, Nigeria this year- it is clear that the momentum is building for our stories to be told in our own words. As a pioneer of the genre of African fashion illustration, Yéga is revisiting the elements that make African fashion so globally celebrated. She was invited to teach at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a workshop on African Fashion which coincided with the end of the Africa Fashion exhibition which ran from 2022 to April 2023.
When asked about the pressing issues surrounding African fashion textile heritage, Yéga says ‘Our cloths have always been appreciated for their beauty, however much of the know-how and artisanal craftsmanship is being lost as generations fail to immortalise and document these valuable skills and traditions. With globalisation and increasingly homogenising force, it’s so important that African textile traditions resist erasure and dilution. We can do this by teaching, writing and encouraging apprenticeships on a national level’.