Family, photography, memories: Africa Fashion

Museums are not only about objects, they are also about people.

These photographs are an insight into a past that I am part of. This is a photograph of my grandmother and her friend at my auntie's wedding. They wear the same aṣọ-òkè but they've each made it their own with the way they've chosen to style it, the accessories, the way they've each tied their gèlè. They’re unique but together, ushering unified support for my auntie on her wedding day.

My mother used to make all of her clothes, she was very stylish when she was young. Later, it was her main source of income when we lived in Tooting, and she also made clothes for my sister, cousins and aunts. We always had an industrial Singer machine sat somewhere. I had to take quite a few trips to Petticoat Lane with her to get fabrics. I didn't enjoy them then, but I do have a rush of nostalgia when I am anywhere in the East End. When designing garments, simplicity was her thing. There was always a story behind the style of her dresses.

My dad (Bright Owusu-Boateng) was from a small farming village called Adeusena. Being accepted to a school in Accra was the first of many major turning points in his life. It was a big deal to pose by a transistor, like posing in front of a big flash car today. After high school my father was employed by Barclays Bank in Accra. He later had the opportunity to come to England and partake in a Barclays Exchange Program, a much sought-after opportunity. These (photos above) are some of the first shots he took in England to send to his friends and family back home. Six years later he met a stylish young lady (my mother) at a house party in Wandsworth and the rest, as they say, is history.

This is my grandfather, the man I'm named after. This is the first photo I ever saw of him. He's dressed for a formal occasion in his kente cloth…he's got on his best watch, his ring, and his ahenema slippers. There's a lot of prominence in what he's wearing. If there were family gatherings or celebrations this is what he'd pull out. Kente cloth often gets passed down through families.

This picture was taken around 1970 or 1971 when I was about 14 or 15. It was taken at a photographer's studio located on the Ring Road in Accra, near the Liberation Circle or what was then called 'Circle', and next door to a very popular hair dressing salon called Bea's Beauty Parlour. To put the picture in context, it was taken at a time when many Ghanaian families kept photo albums, usually displayed in sitting rooms and shown to visitors. The most common way of filling and replenishing these were by use of studio-based professional photographers, who took and developed the photographs. It was very common among our peer group to have pictures taken in this way. This wasn't a special occasion. As I recall my friend and I just happened to be passing and decided to get our pictures taken. The top was not particularly fashionable but was, and still is, very popular around West Africa and is called a Jeromi. Jeromi refers to the stitching pattern around the neck and chest.

My grandma was the first woman to be bestowed the prestigious Islamic Chieftaincy title of Samori-Adinni of Lagos. This prominent title was given for her dedication and charity work supporting the presence of women in the Islamic culture in south-west Nigeria and her works within its community. Princess Ojora was known for her fashion style and in these pictures she is wearing the traditional Yorùbá outfit of ìró (skirt), bùbá (blouse), ìpèlé (shawl) and gèlè (headwrap) made of a fabric called woyonsi: floral hand-cut organza made in Switzerland. In Yoruba culture female peers are expected to dress for special occasions in the same attire called aṣọ-ẹbí. The way in which they carry themselves should depict poise and elegance, showcasing their garments.

This is a photograph that my father took of my mother after they had returned home from a trip to New York. They went via Paris and took a Concorde flight. She wears an outfit by French designer Serge Nancel that she had bought on the trip.

I had got dressed up to go out to visit a friend. The lace top was sewn in Nigeria. The fabric was from Ghana. I'm standing by a Fiat 132 – there were only a few of them at the time, what they call 'one in town' – a nice car, people admired it. I remember it was a car that one of my friends came and gave me. Her name was Esther. She just came and parked the car there one day and left. I called her and said, "Esther you've left your car here". She said, "It's for you, it's a gift". Life in Nigeria then was a very social time, at that time Nigeria was booming, there were so many parties – all night parties until breakfast.

This photo was taken in a photographer's studio, in roughly 1970. It reminds me of good times. I loved and still love fashion. I always received compliments on my dresses. This was a beautiful, special dress. I had it made by a seamstress. I love the pattern. I was wearing this dress one day and my friend Maggy and I were invited to a hotel ball where we frequently dined. People were ballroom dancing and I watched. A man approached and asked if we wanted to dance. I declined because I wanted to watch and learn the steps. Maggy went up. He asked if Maggy was my sister and he said she looked like she was being pulled like a fishing net out of the sea. Her legs were all over the place. We laughed so much that day. I was laughing too much to dance.

Looking at these pictures of my mother back in 1960s Ghana gives a wonderful glimpse of the past, as well as an insight into the merging of cultures through fashion. When I saw these pictures, it was like, 'wow'. She's the one with the big smile, which was the best accessory to everything she wore. She was at teaching college at this time. She's wearing a white shirt with an African print cloth wrapped over it – a mixture of western style with traditional clothing was her style choice from her youthful days into her later years.

We all called her Mama… she was the boss, the anchor of the family. She always wanted to make a statement. She had a strong personality but most of all a big heart, anyone who went to her with an issue, would leave knowing that issue was solved. Her words of wisdom were always everlasting. She had two children, ten grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren and they are all strong-willed individuals. She was a judge – the only female judge working alongside seven male judges in the Customary Court of Appeal in the city of Akure, Nigeria. During her time as a judge she wouldn't dress like in this picture – she would wear Agbada, which is a traditional men's attire, on occasion when attending Ogun, a traditional indigenous festival. Not only was she a judge, she was a great politician who was well respected, a cloth merchant and the women leader of Akure town – she would be the one to advise the people of Akure during the Nigerian elections.

This photograph was taken the day my mum was born. She wore this outfit to celebrate my mum's birth, her second grandchild. This was the outfit she would wear to celebrate, or when she was going to an event.