The Kanvô of Benin
According to legend, its origins date back to a distant past. It all began with the signing of a pact. A spirit is said to have revealed the secret of weaving to a man from the village of Kalëkis (or Calequisse in French), in the Cacheu region of northern Guinea-Bissau. He then shared his knowledge with his peers.
Even today, although influenced by the Portuguese, with the addition of extra heddles and the adoption of European techniques for ornamentation and the assistance of a loom operator, weavers still perpetuate this craft with traditional know-how. The hand-weaving of the loincloth is done horizontally on a spacious area. The weaver needs a distance of 10 to 20 meters to set up their workspace. This weaving activity is exclusively reserved for men, but the finishing touches are often the responsibility of women.
Made entirely by hand by master weavers, its production requires patience, meticulousness, and physical strength. This demanding skill is generally passed down from father to son. The artisans use horizontal arm looms, several meters long. The weaving width is typically 80 cm, but can vary between 20, 40, and 100 cm, depending on demand. Little by little, cotton thread by cotton thread, the patterns of the woven loincloth are delicately revealed. The patterns can be religious, political, societal, familial, and so on. The best artisans weave between 3 and 5 meters of loincloth per day. The resulting fabric is both heavy and supple, with elegant patterns and often shimmering colors.
Today, the production of woven loincloths takes place mainly in Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal (from Casamance to Saint-Louis, including Dakar), and Cape Verde. Manjacks are present in these various West African countries.
Cultural heritage of Benin, Kanvô simply means woven loincloth in the Fon language (southern Benin).
In Africa, loincloths constitute a means of communicating cultural values; a means for each community to express its belonging to: a people, a royal court, a country or an ethnicity.
·King Béhanzin in Kanvô
It is said that “Kanvô” is inspired by the Nigerian loincloth “Asho oke”. King AGONGLO, 8th king of Abomey, impressed by the art of a Nigerian weaver, is said to have brought it back after a conquest (1789-1797). He would then have promoted himself there. His son, King Guézo, in turn developed the weaver's profession and popularized the woven loincloth in the high society of the monarchy.