Haraka haraka haina baraka✦Pole pole ndio mwendo✦Haba na haba hujaza kibaba✦Bandu bandu huisha gogo✦Mvumilivu hula mbivu✦Subira huvuta heri✦Penye nia pana njia✦Umoja ni nguvu, utengano ni udhaifu✦Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa✦Mkono mmoja haulei mwana✦Mtoto umleavyo ndivyo akuavyo✦Udongo uwahi ungali maji✦Asiyefunzwa na mamaye hufunzwa na ulimwengu✦Mgeni njoo, mwenyeji apone✦Mti mkuu ukigwa, wana wa ndege huyumba✦Hakuna marefu yasiyo na ncha✦Haraka haraka haina baraka✦Pole pole ndio mwendo✦Haba na haba hujaza kibaba✦Bandu bandu huisha gogo✦Mvumilivu hula mbivu✦Subira huvuta heri✦Penye nia pana njia✦Umoja ni nguvu, utengano ni udhaifu✦Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa✦Mkono mmoja haulei mwana✦Mtoto umleavyo ndivyo akuavyo✦Udongo uwahi ungali maji✦Asiyefunzwa na mamaye hufunzwa na ulimwengu✦Mgeni njoo, mwenyeji apone✦Mti mkuu ukigwa, wana wa ndege huyumba✦Hakuna marefu yasiyo na ncha✦
The studio
Your words. Your cloth.
The same message and settings always weave the same kanga, so your link is your design. Hit Remix for a new variation.
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Style
Palette, from the Diani coast
Occasion
Love it? Take it home
Secure checkout by Lemon Squeezy (merchant of record). Files are generated instantly after purchase.
Anatomy of a kanga
Three parts, one voice.
01
Pindo
The border frames everything. Cashews, waves, coral spots: patterns traded along the Indian Ocean for generations.
02
Mji
The “town” at the heart of the cloth: a medallion that blooms from your message's own seed.
03
Jina
The saying. On the coast a kanga speaks for you: a blessing, a love note, a gentle hint. Now it says what you want to say.
Methali library
Wisdom worth wearing.
42 classic Swahili proverbs, each with a meaning and its own kanga. Meaning pending native-speaker review
JINA is made in Diani, on Kenya's south coast. It's a place of two monsoon winds, the Kaskazi and the Kusi, of colobus monkeys swinging across Beach Road, of the sacred Kaya Kinondo forest, and of kangas fluttering on market lines from Ukunda to Msambweni.
We built a loom out of code, so anyone, anywhere, can say something that matters in the oldest social medium of the Swahili coast.
1.5 mclassic kanga width, matched by our fabric file
8palettes drawn from reef, coral, makuti, mangrove & colobus
∞variations; every message has its own seed
0trackers. Designs are generated on your device
Questions
Good to know
Can I write in any language?
Yes. The studio uses your device's fonts for scripts beyond Latin, so Arabic, Amharic, Devanagari, Chinese and more all work. Latin text is set in capitals, the way coastal kangas traditionally are.
Is the same message always the same design?
Yes. Your message, style, palette, occasion and variation number form a seed. Share the link and anyone sees exactly your kanga.
How do I print it on real fabric?
The Print-ready fabric file is 150 × 100 cm at 150 dpi. Upload it to an online fabric printer (such as Spoonflower) or take it to a local textile printer and ask for cotton.
Who reviews the proverbs?
The Swahili proverbs are traditional. The English meanings are our own and are being reviewed by native speakers. Spotted something? Tell us and we'll fix it.