Factory print cloth may be manufactured in Europe or Asia for the African market or be made in an African factory and sold anywhere. Generally identified with bright colors and bold designs, it assumes a local name and symbolic meaning. One reason for success of factory printed cloth is the widespread practice of dressing alike for special events ~ weddings, funerals, anniversaries and especially for political events. Another is the quantity of cloth needed to make an outfit. Factory printed cloth is typically sold in 6 yard lots to women for a skirt and top, plus a shawl or head tie. It may be kept uncut as stored wealth.
Sports are a popular subject for cloth. In the United States it is called soccer, but in the rest of the world it is football. It is very popular in Africa, with fabrics commemorating local teams, and national and international competitions such as the World Cup held every four years.
Description:
Factory printed cloth with a central motif of football player in a frame reading "SIERRA LEONE FOOTBALLERS" and surrounded by red and yellow footballs. The background is a greenish-brown grid. The top and bottom borders feature football players and a net. The print is green, red, yellow, blue and olive green on a white base fabric. The left and right sides are pinked.
Provenance:
Lilburn Theurer Senn, Clemson, South Carolina, acquired in Sierra Leone, 1970s to 2002
Exhibition History:
Festival of African American Literature and the Arts, The Brooks Center, Clemson University, South Carolina, September 17-21, 2001
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