On View
1968 & Beyond Gallery
Exhibition
A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond
Manufactured by
Unidentified
Subject of
President Obama, Barack, American, born 1961
Date
2008
Medium
cotton
Dimensions
H x W: 41 3/4 × 59 1/4 in. (106 × 150.5 cm)
Description
Kanga with portrait of Barack Obama and the African continent made in Tanzania. The cloth is a pale purplish-grayu with a wide border in tones of medium and midnight blue. The background of the border is a small scale grid design. A row of stylized flowers made from four (4) heart-shaped petals and a circular center are printed in the middle around the border. A thin border featuring a row of dark blue dots surround the inner and outer sides of the main border section. At the center of the interior section is a large oval photographic portrait of Barack Obama printed in black. He is wearing a suit and tie and is pictured from the chest up and smiling while looking directly at the viewer. Text above him just inside the oval border reads "HONGERA [Congratulations] BARACK OBAMA". Black text printed inside a rectangle outlined in black at the center bottom interior reads in Swahili "UPENDO NA AMANI AMETUJALIA MUNGU" [God Has Blessed Us with Peace and Love]. Printed on either side of Obama is a black outline of the African continent with the island Madagascar, including interior country borders outlined in black with some filled in with red or green. Large black letters reading "AFRICA" are printed along the widest upper part of the continent, with the names of individual countries printed in smaller black text next to or inside their respective borders. The two Africa prints are identical, including the colors of the countries filled in. Manufacturer's information is printed in the lower bottom left corner that reads "NIDA NZITO KHANGA PAMBA YA TANZANIA GIGA:7274".
Place made
Tanzania, Africa
Classification
Textiles and Quilts
Type
textiles
portraits
Topic
Africa
African diaspora
Design
Identity
Politics
Textile design
U.S. History, 2001-
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Catherine E. McKinley
Object number
2017.16.16
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55b2142af-b375-4109-a4d5-3e6f69911c84

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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