Shirt

Item number 3173/1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Man’s cotton shirt. Shirt has short sleeves, wide at the cuff, a stand-up collar, and button front. A pocket sits at front left, and is heavily embroidered in black, in diamond motifs and colour blocks. The collar just below the neck and lines along the shoulders are similarly decorated. A small orange tag with a stylized letter A is attached to the top edge of the pocket. The buttons are black plastic.

History Of Use

The "panos de terra" fabric weaving has a long history in the Cape Verde islands. The production of cotton and the technology of making panos de terra was transferred from the African mainland to the islands by enslaved Africans. The finished cloth was used as currency and a prestige clothing item throughout coastal West Africa, especially in present day Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Ghana and the Niger Delta of Nigeria, thereby impacting the use of textiles in status fashion and funerary rites. The cloth was also known in 17th century Brazil.

Narrative

Made in the tailoring shop of Fatima Almeida, who commissions people with HIV to produce the handmade decorative strips (panos de terra) in villages in the interior of Santiago Island.