[Activity/Workshop] Humanities Across Borders: Natural Dyes Workshop for Eco-Friendly Fashion

The shift towards natural dyeing methods is gaining increasing interest due to environmental concerns over the alarming impacts of chemical dyeing. Currently, the textile industry is responsible for a significant share of water pollution, with approximately 20% of global wastewater coming from textile dyeing and processing. Exploring the benefits of natural dyeing over chemical dyeing is essential for creating a more environmentally friendly textile industry.

In this workshop, participants will explore the artisanal process of bogolanfini (bɔ̀gɔlanfini), bɔ̀gɔ, meaning “earth”, “mud”, or “clay”; lan, meaning “with” or “by means of”; and fini, meaning “cloth” dyeing. Commonly translated as “mud cloth”, bogolan (bɔ̀gɔlan) actually refers to slip clay with a high iron content which renders the colour black.

Another aspect of the workshop will be the extraction of the indigo blue pigment from the plant species Indigofera tinctoria using a variety of extraction techniques ranging from maceration, infusion, and fermentation, as it is practiced in Mali and other parts of West Africa.