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Niger River and Pilgrimage, Malian mud cloth, 2007
Dianne Zimbabwe (b. 1952)
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Yellow Malian cotton cloth, mud
64 x 5 in.
Collection of the artist
Photography by Jason Dowdle
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A trip to Africa inspired Dianne Zimbabwe to make these mud cloths, or bogolan, which translates as mud or clay painting. She learned the technique from AlFousceiny Kelly who grew up in Songhai, Mali. A dried plant substance from Mali called n'galama gives the cotton fabric a golden color. To recall her inspiration and the origins of the technique, Dianne decorated one of these with a rough map of Africa. The other uses motifs representing fishing on the Niger River. The hand-painted textiles can be used as part of traditional clothing, or as wall hangings.
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