Bogolanfini in the Pan-African Village

I had the pleasure of spending the end of August and the beginning of September in the Pan-African Village at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, N.Y. There I conducted two workshops in Bogolanfini (mudcloth).

Vanessa Johnson (on the left) painting with young artists

The first workshop took place on Friday August 27th around 3PM, which was run by Vanessa Johnson, a resident of Syracuse. I arrived an hour early and enjoyed the wonderful weather as I set up the area in preparation for creating Bogolanfini. My supplies included 50 jars of mud, 75 craved painting sticks, 96 pieces of tea stained cloth, four different types of tea and over 50 stencils. I then put the finishing touches on a table displaying brochures and worksheets and anxiously awaited the crowd!

Soon a father and his two children came to our tables inquiring about face painting. We invited them to sit down and try mudcloth painting. However, they felt the activity would be dirty and messy. As I demonstrated how I use sticks to paint mud onto the cloth, they looked around the tables and saw the many different colors of mud. There was an array of different shades of yellows, brick reds, browns, black, blue grays, and even bright greens. Then I supplied the children the cloth to paint on, sticks to paint with and we were ready to paint! The children created beautiful mudcloths, trying as many colors they could fit on their cloths. When the mudcloths were dry we rinsed off the excess mud and set them out to dry in the sun. In an effort to attract additional people, I searched through my carrying case and found the biggest mudcloth I created, which was a scene of an African Marketplace, and hung it under the tent banner.

A father trying his hand at mud cloth.

That did it!

When people walked by they asked about it and I invited them to create one of their own. The tables were full for the next two hours. At one point I an entire family filled a table. Another table had 4 generations of a family, all creating mudcloths. It was beautiful to watch! I received hugs and “thank you” for the experience.

The second workshop was Wednesday, September 1st, at 3PM. This time people were waiting to create mudcloths. My mother and I arrived early so I could show my mother around the Pan-African Village. We enjoyed some of the event’s food and returned to the art tent in time to start the workshop at 3PM. Parents were encouraging their children to try mudcloth painting. Over the course of the day, we invited many people to paint. Then, as some children, two girls and a boy, who were working at the village sat down to rest, I invited them to try mudcloth painting. The young ladies instantly sat down to paint, but the young man was reluctant. I shared the history of mudcloth painting and after learning more about mudcloth painting, the young man created one. He did a very good job and said he enjoyed it very much. My hope for that young man is that he learned not only mudcloth painting that day, but that he also learned to try something new.

Learned to love Mud Cloth Painting.