Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail 2.5K Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: A group of creative artists in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo are promoting African culture through clothes and ornament. The group, known as Lisanga bakoko, designs clothes from beads, bamboo fiber and other plant materials to preserve their rich cultural heritage. CGTN’s Chris Ochamringa caught up with them in Kinshasa and brings us this story. It’s harvest time in Congo -Santral province in western DRC. These men are not collecting crops for eating, but rather for designing clothes and shoes. They turn plant material, beads and even snakes into outfits at their workshop in Kinshasa. Their group is known as Lisanga bakoko, which means the Association of Grandparents in Lingala. “Our ideology is all about preserving the African culture. Our mission is to bring back the ancient clothing that our forefathers left us.” More Articles You Would Love Nigeria’s Deola Sagoe Just Released Their Superb ‘Ethereal’ Collection & It’s Aso Ebi At It’s Finest! Beyonce Puts African Designers RichMnisi & Adama Paris On Blast Whilst In South Africa The group belongs to a church that teaches worshippers to return to their African traditions. “The way things are, we advise Congolese to dress in modern clothing only when going to work. They should always dress in these traditional outfits on important occasions.” It takes them several weeks of painstaking work to produce these costumes. The ornaments and clothes that these men from the Lisanga bakoko group design are a reflection of their deep African cultural roots. They hope their fellow Congolese citizens will start dressing like them during ceremonies. But many people in the DRC prefer dressing in African print fabrics. That has not dampened these men’s resolve to continue designing their outfits. And occasionally, they hit the streets of their neighbourhood to show off their clothes. A trend they learned from Kinshasa’s saperes, a group of men and women who love dressing in stylish clothes. It’s known as voata kovwata in Kikongo, a language spoken in Western DRC. There are lots of talented people in the arts and culture industry in the DRC, but many of them haven’t been successful due to decades of conflict and political instability. Read More Like This On Congo Social Politics In Fashion UPCOMING PRIORITY EVENTS! VIEW ALL EVENTS To Submit stories Email: [email protected] or HashTag #FashionGHANA Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail FashionGHANA Admin FashionGHANA.com is a Fashion PR Company, Events planning & management team as well as Africa's leading Fashion Media House. Get Intouch with us and let's see how we can help you grow. info@FashionGHANAcom More For You “There Is A Risk Europe Could Die” Macron Speaks Shortly After Losing Control... FCCPC Shuts Down Chinese Supermarket In Nigeria That Banned Nigerians From Entering VIDEOS: Dubai Loses Tourism Points as City Struck by Disastrous Floods! From Airport... VIDEO: Traditionalists Threaten The Police To Not Intervene With 63y/o Priest’s Under Aged... “Reject Anti-LGBTQ Bill If You Want Ghana To Flourish” IMF Boss Kristalina Georgieva... Saira Bawumia Finally Launches Clothing Campaign ‘Wear Ghana Everyday’ As Husband Runs For... VIDEO: “People Are Taking Their Sexual Perversion Into The Childrens’ Classroom” Sam George... VIDEO: See Kenya First Afrocentric School Where Kids Learn To Take Pride In... Ghana’s Parliament Passes Long-Debated Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill VIDEO: The Congolese People Fight Back Against The West In A Series Of... Leave a Comment Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.