Bogolan, Mali's mud cloth: how it is made, its patterns and fashion
Bogolan (bògòlanfini in Bambara, "made with mud"): woven cotton strips, n'galama leaf dye and drawing with fermented mud, four main colours, protective patterns, and its rise in fashion since Chris Seydou.
Recognisable by its brown, black and ochre patterns, bogolan is one of the symbols of Malian craftsmanship. The word refers both to the cloth and to a dyeing technique. Here is how it is made, what its patterns say and how it entered fashion.
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Key points
- Bogolan comes from the Bambara bɔgɔlan, from bɔgɔ (earth) and lan ("made from"): literally "made with mud".
- The fabric is a cotton cloth spun and woven locally, in strips sewn edge to edge.
- Four main colours: brown, black, beige and light yellow.
- Sold commercially in Mali from the 1970s, it spread worldwide through designer Chris Seydou in the 1980s.
The cloth
The base is a more or less thick cotton cloth, spun and woven locally, in strips about 5 to a dozen centimetres wide, sold in rolls. The strips are hand-sewn edge to edge into pieces of cloth. A tailor may cut a garment from it before the artist starts dyeing.
Dyeing, step by step
- Base dye: the cloth is soaked in a decoction of n'galama leaves (African birch, a tree of the Combretaceae family), then dried flat in the sun.
- Drawing with mud: the artist traces the patterns with fermented mud (bɔgɔ), using a reed pen or brush.
- Red areas: from rust to brown, they come from a decoction of mpécou bark; left aside for a while, the same decoction gives a khaki shade.
- White areas: today they are obtained with a bleaching mix of washing powder, chlorine and shea soap.
Where wax prints show bright colours, bogolan plays on sober shades: brown, black, white, ochre.
What the patterns say
The designs are an identity mark: they refer to a people, a village or an artist, so much so that a woman can recognise her own pieces. Dyed with earth, bogolan is considered charged with vital energy. Traditionally it served as protection: depending on the shape and colour of its patterns, it protected hunters, pregnant women, the elderly or infants. It was made into men's tunics and women's wrapped skirts, and credited with healing properties.
From village to international fashion
Bogolan was sold commercially in Mali from the 1970s, and production grew in the 1980s with centres such as San and Ségou. Malian designer Seydou Doumbia, known as Chris Seydou, made it known worldwide in the 1980s; by the 2000s it was exported everywhere. Malian designer Mariah Bocoum also uses it, as do designers from other African countries, and Western brands have drawn on it, including Oscar de la Renta in 2008.
In Bamako, bogolan is found in markets and at the Maison des Artisans: see our page on the National Museum and crafts.
Frequently asked questions
What does bogolan mean?
"Made with mud": the Bambara word bɔgɔlan combines bɔgɔ, earth, and the suffix lan, "made from".
How is bogolan made?
A cotton cloth is soaked in a decoction of n'galama leaves, dried in the sun, then drawn on with fermented mud; other decoctions and bleaches produce the reds and whites.
What colours is bogolan?
Four main colours: brown, black, beige and light yellow, with shades of rust, ochre and khaki.
Source: Wikipedia (French) — Bogolan.