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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Tejumola Maurice-Diya: Documenting Africa’s Fashion Heritage at IAF

From ThisDay · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Interview Sources not specified Context piece
  • Inside Africa Fashion 54 (IAF 54) is a landmark exhibition in Lagos showcasing the fashion heritage of all 54 African countries.
  • Founded by Tejumola Maurice-Diya, the exhibition aims to preserve African fashion stories from an African perspective before they are misrepresented or claimed by others.
  • IAF 54 highlights discoveries like Aso Oke's origins as wound dressing and explores the growing appeal of indigenous fabrics among young Africans, alongside challenges in trade and shipping.

Cultural archivist Tejumola Maurice-Diya has launched Inside Africa Fashion 54 (IAF 54), a significant exhibition in Lagos that brings together the fashion narratives, textiles, and craftsmanship from all 54 African nations. This initiative, born from nearly two years of dedicated documentation by The Fashioned Museum, seeks to safeguard Africa's rich fashion heritage from an indigenous viewpoint.

I find that Nigerians, and Africans in general, are very creative people. I believe a platform is ideal to express that creativity, so the entire world can see the beauty that African designers and creatives have to offer.

— Tejumola Maurice-DiyaExplaining her inspiration for creating IAF 54 and documenting African fashion.

Maurice-Diya's goal is to ensure these stories are told by Africans, for Africans, and the world, countering the historical tendency for external narratives to dominate. She emphasizes that IAF 54 serves as a platform to showcase the creativity of African designers and bridge generational and cultural divides, allowing Africans to express their culture from their own perspective.

The exhibition unveils fascinating details, such as the evolution of Aso Oke from a wound dressing material to a ceremonial cloth. It also addresses the increasing preference among young Africans for indigenous fabrics over Ankara prints and discusses the logistical hurdles of trade and shipping across the continent.

As Africans, unfortunately, in the past, we haven’t always done a great job of documenting. The purpose of this platform is to document, so people are aware of what Africans are actually doing.

— Tejumola Maurice-DiyaDiscussing the importance of documenting African fashion heritage from an African perspective.

IAF 54 is envisioned not just as an archive but as an experience, offering those in the diaspora and others a tangible connection to the diverse fashion identities of countries like Cameroon and Ethiopia. Maurice-Diya hopes the exhibition will inspire young creatives to explore their identity and the profound role heritage plays in their artistic endeavors.

For those in the diaspora who have always wondered what it looks like to be Cameroonian, or Ethiopian, for example, they now have the opportunity to see everything in one city. To actually experience the beauty, creativity, richness, and depth of the text

— Tejumola Maurice-DiyaDescribing the immersive experience offered by the IAF 54 exhibition.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ThisDay. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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