the significance of textiles

Textiles are a powerful symbol of cultural and individual identity.



This young man was escorted from his own graduation because he refused to remove a kente cloth sash.

This is a demonstration of cultural appropriation at work.

The symbol (in this case, the kente cloth) is legislated and controlled by the dominant culture. The young man was oppressed, in that he was prevented from attending his own graduation because he did not submit to this control.