The overused term "fusion" to describe attempts at merging two or more cultures often brings to mind uninspired surf and turf dishes laden with wasabi sauce, or symbol-heavy art incorporating an awkward mishmash of design elements.
Once in a while, however, this type of cultural blending produces something sophisticated, inspiring and truly unique, such as French-Cameroonian designer Serge Mouangue's stunning kimonos. I'll let the fabulous Wafrica website speak for itself - check it out here, and make sure sound is on so you can enjoy the soundtrack. Regarding the name Wafrica: I couldn't find any info to confirm this, but I'm assuming it's a merging of "wafu" (Japanese style) and "Africa."
There is an upcoming event on October 3 featuring Mouangue's designs at the French Institute of Culture in Tokyo (alas, I won't be in Tokyo at that time). Review the event description on 101TOKYO's Facebook invite page. There will be a fashion show, tea ceremony, dance and drum performance, all inspired by the Wafrica aesthetic.
What really struck a chord with me were Mouangue's thoughts about merging African and Japanese elements to create his designs. As quoted from the Wafrica site: "In response to the argument that globalization may rob us of our cultural identity, a conversation between two ancient, strong and sophisticated identities: Japan and Africa. The conversation is about the beauty of weaving the strands of our stories together."
And, from 101TOKYO's blurb about the October 3 fashion event: ‘‘In 2007, I experimented with Japanese kimono by producing them with African fabrics...after showing them to Japanese audiences, many people felt the resulting garment existed beyond boundaries – it was neither Japanese nor African, it was part of a heretofore unknown world, a 'third aesthetic'.’’
This meshes with my thoughts about identifying myself as a hapa (half Japanese or Asian). This is putting it much less elegantly, but to quote the protagonist in my novel Elephant Girl: "Being half wasn’t just about being different looking. I was different, I felt different. I wasn’t just Japanese, I wasn’t just white, I was a mix of both, which is something else entirely. I mean, you mix blue and red and you get purple, right?”
Merci to the Institut franco-japonais de Tokyo for use of the photo.
3 comments:
really beautiful! i have always wanted a kimono...i am drawn to the more traditional japanese styles but this combination is really gorgeous.
Very informative article, Aki. And I liked your closing statement about 'being half'. To me it ought be special.
I like that the picture is equally African and Japanese.
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