By Lanre Sonubi
If you are like me, you must at least have one or two things you do that people may find a bit weird. Mine is the compulsive purchase of Adire Patterned fabric. I love Adire (tie-dye) fabric, so much and I am not ashamed to say it! Just imagine an Adire fabric; the sharp patterns, the subtle play of colours, the rich alignment of dye on cotton and the whole colourful splendour of it!!
I have always loved African fabrics. However, my love for Adire (tie-dyeing) stands out. It is understandable though since I schooled at Abeokuta; the undisputed ancestral home of Adire.
I find myself always fascinated by various designs of the fabric once I spot them both on and off the job. I find it even more interesting when Adire is used to make other fashion accessories and personal effects such as shoes, bags, folders, iPad cases, throw-pillows, caps, mufflers, tablecloth, suspenders, the list is endless.
For decades, and perhaps for centuries, people of Egba Land—Abeokuta—had ensured that the Adire industry does not die by passing the intricate designing skills to the next generation.
The expansive Kemta Adire market in the heart of the town bear relics of an age long trade that has engaged the people for centuries.
The expansive Kemta Adire market in the heart of the town bear relics of an age long trade that has engaged the people for centuries. The market attracts thousands of traders and tourists alike on a daily basis.
Back then, I would go shopping for assorted designs at the popular Adire market. I never really liked the plain and patterned variant. Most of the fabrics went to my siblings and friends back in Lagos at the cost price. No commercial intent; I merely needed an excuse to visit Kemta market to behold Adire in its colourful splendour.
Over ten years have gone by since my undergraduate days but my love for Adire keeps waxing stronger. Regardless of the distance between the heart of Lagos and Abeokuta, I and Adire always find a way to stay in touch. We meet at parties, in transit, and online. Our most recent memorable encounter happened during this year’s Africa Day celebration at Africa Prudential Plc.
Our most recent memorable encounter happened during this year’s Africa Day celebration at Africa Prudential Plc.
We usually have various groups of departments deliver an Afrocentric presentation on stage. We do have them in form of dance, drama, art & craft, culinary, songs, and more. Anyways, that’s not the main gist; the memorable encounter was this:
One of the group performances caught my eyes in a different fashion. Right there on the stage, they made three (3) different Adire designs. At first, I thought I was in dreamland until I saw them prepare the different colours of dye in hot water and tied the plain fabrics with raffia to form unique patterns. The tied fabrics were motionless like pupa waiting to blossom. I gradually became anxious, and almost lost patience when the fabrics were dipped into the hot dye water and were being stirred. It seemed like forever. Finally, the moment of truth arrived as the fabrics were removed from the water and the raffia knots untied. There she was in three exquisite patterns.
The Adire looked very beautiful, even more beautiful because I witnessed the creative process by non-professionals. Most of all, I was glad the judges shared my appreciation for its beauty by rewarding the maker of adire with the star prize.
Since that last meet, I have found myself thinking more about Adire. Every new encounter on the streets leaves me with a certain looking forward to my next vacation where Adire and I will once again look eye to eye and exchange a long-awaited ‘welcome-back’ greeting.
