Campaign cloth

Description

Length of cotton cloth with a blue printed design commissioned by the Malawi Congress Party political party: Africa, Eastern Africa, Malawi, Blantyre, 2014

Museum reference

V.2014.55

Collection

World Culture

Object name

Campaign cloth

Production information

Blantyre, Malawi, Eastern Africa

Date

2010 - 2014

Style / Culture

Malawian

Materials

Cotton

Physical description

Length of cotton cloth with blue printed design, known as a chitenje, from Malawi. The cloth was commissioned by the Malawi Congress Party founded in 1959. The cloth is printed with a dark blue ground and repeating central circular head and shoulders portrait of the founder of the party Hastings Kamuzu Banda in black and white. (This is an updated version of the portrait in V.2014.54). The upper border features a repeating pattern of geometric motifs in yellow, blue, red, black and white. The lower border has a repeating pattern of blue zigzag, red, white and yellow pattern below a yellow sun burst with black cockerals facing a red rising sun. On the lower selvedge is the factory logo 'Mapeto Whitex Fabric (Malawi) D No.10122'. The short edges are unhemmed.