Drawn mainly from the Museum’s extensive collection of African art, this exhibition showcases garments, accessories, and textiles made from the woven fibers of raffia palm leaves from West and Central Africa and the island of Madagascar.

Raffia was once one of the most common textile fibers on the continent, before the introduction of imported cotton fabric.

Exploring the ingenious use of this vital material, Wearable Raffia from Africa highlights 15 works of art from several groups across four African countries, including the Bamileke (Cameroon), Dida (Côte d’Ivoire), Kuba, Suku, and Teke (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and the Merina (Madagascar).