Swahili coast culture
Textiles of the Swahili coast
The Swahili coast runs from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique, through Lamu, Mombasa, Diani, Zanzibar and Kilwa. Its cloth tells the story of an ocean.
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An ocean of trade
For centuries, monsoon winds carried dhows between East Africa, Arabia and India. Cloth was one of the most traded goods, and coastal towns developed styles of their own from imported and local textiles.
The kanga
The printed kanga emerged in the late 1800s and became the signature cloth of the coast: a border, a central field and, from the early 20th century, a Swahili saying. Read khanga meaning and sayings.
The kikoi and the kitenge
The woven, striped kikoi is a coastal classic, while colourful kitenge prints are worn across the region for tailored clothes. See how they differ.
Words that travel
Swahili itself grew along this coast, from Bantu roots with many words borrowed through trade. Its proverbs, methali, are short, poetic and perfect for cloth.
Questions
Where is the Swahili coast?
The coast and islands of East Africa from southern Somalia through Kenya and Tanzania to northern Mozambique, including the Lamu archipelago and Zanzibar.