Kitenge or chitenge is an Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

n garment similar to sarong

Sarong

A sarong or sarung is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn as a kilt by men and as a skirt by women throughout much of South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric most often has woven plaid or...

, often worn by women wrapped around the chest or waist, over the head as a headscarf

Headscarf

Headscarves or head scarves are scarves covering most or all of the top of a woman's hair and her head. Headscarves may be worn for a variety of purposes, such as for warmth, for sanitation, for fashion or social distinction; with religious significance, to hide baldness, out of modesty, or other...

, or as a baby sling

Baby sling

A baby sling is a piece of cloth that supports an infant or other small child from a carer's body. The use of a baby sling is called babywearing.- Ring slings :...

.

Kitenges are similar to kanga

Kanga (African garment)

The kanga which comes from the old Bantu verb ku-kanga to wrap or close, is a colourful garment similar to kitenge, worn by women and occasionally by men throughout Eastern Africa...

s and kikoy, but are of a thicker cloth, and have an edging only on a long side. Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

, and Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

 are some of the African countries where kitenge is worn. In Malawi

Malawi

The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...

, Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

 and Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

, kitenge is known as Chitenge. They are also sometimes worn by men around the waist in hot weather.In some countries like Malawi, Chitenges are never worn by men.

Kitenges (plural vitenge in Swahili

Swahili language

Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...

; zitenge in Tonga

Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe

The Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe are a Bantu ethnic group of southern Zambia and neighbouring northern Zimbabwe, and to a lesser extent, in Mozambique. They are related to the Batoka who are part of the Tokaleya people in the same area, and also to the Tonga people of Malawi...

) serve as an inexpensive, informal piece of clothing that is often decorated with a huge variety of colors, patterns and even political slogan

Slogan

A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...

s.

The printing on the cloth is done by a traditional batik

Batik

Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Singapore.Javanese traditional batik, especially from...

technique. Many of the designs have a meaning. A large variety of religious and political designs is found as well as traditional tribal patterns. The cloth is used as material for dresses as well.

Uses of Chitenges

Chitenges can be used in various occasions and in various ways either symbolically or for practical reasons. The following list demonstrates various uses of the cloths.

• Chitenges are used in different settings to convey various messages.
• In Malawi, Chitenjes are customary at funerals for women.
• They are also used as a sling to hold a baby across the back of a mother. They can be used to hold the baby at the front as well. Particularly in breast feeding.
• Chitenges are given as gifts to young women.
• They are sometimes tied together and used as decorative pieces at dinner tables.
• When women go to the beach, often the Chitenge is wrapped around the bathing suit for modesty or to shield cold air.
• Chitenges can be framed or otherwise hang up on the wall as a decorative batik artwork.

External links

• Kenya’s Quest for National attire
• Material wealth, a BBC article about Chitenges in Zambia