Origin and future

A key role is played by Africa’s centuries-long history of colonialization and, in particular, a type of textile that erroneously became a symbol of (West) African tradition: Dutch Wax, also called Ankara. In the mid-nineteenth century, several Dutch and English companies commenced industrial production of Indonesian batik fabrics, among which Vlisco soon became the market leader (and remains so to this day). How the textiles made their way to Africa is subject to dispute, yet the colorfully patterned wax prints quickly grew so popular on the continent that they never really reached the originally intended Dutch market. Today many designers and artists make use of Dutch Wax for their creations. At the same time, an increasing number of critical voices have questioned the embrace of this colonial commodity.