Considerable research has led me to conclude that history books and museum exhibits on African clothing and textiles suffer from a Eurocentric bias vis-à-vis African authenticity. The result is that styles of traditional clothing and textiles deemed ‘not African enough’ have been omitted from the archives of history, constructing a vision of African clothing which does not reflect reality. I believe that Western academia long ago adopted the position that African clothing and textiles are primitive, exotic handcrafts and this agenda was perpetuated and reinforced as academics and museums

consistently overlooked styles of textile and dress which did not meet their vision of the ‘real Africa’; styles that were modern, that changed with the times, that showed evidence of globalism or industrial fabrication have been left out of the history books. I am trying to use this platform to expose the range of assumptions and strategies which have contributed the status quo - the formation of an accredited history of African clothing that is bogus - alongside an effort to provide a remedy by plugging some of the cracks.