Stakeholders Debate Shift from Traditional Madras to Kente Cloth for National Dress

This discussion is long overdue. The Madras cloth was never a part of Antigua’s history. Madras is more associated with Dominica and the French-influenced Caribbean Islands.

The Kente cloth is much more apt as it is historically associated with West Africa, and specifically Ghana, where the ancestors of many Antiguans likely originate.

The time for action is here.

Who are these “stakeholders”? Are they born and raised Antiguans and Barbudans? If so shame on all of them. If they are foreigners then they need to keep this bright idea to themselves.

We sickening in this country now, everything is watered down and it’s because we hold nothing sacred.

Let Ghana have their Kente clothe and leave the madras. Antigua is NOT Ghana.

It is about time.
The Madras cloth hails from Madras (now Chennai) in India and has nothing to do with black people. But we love the colours so we have it as our national dress. And the merchants are willing to oblige.

If you don’t know your history you will adopt other people’s and that is why they will dominate you.

That discussion no matter the outcome will signify our coming of age and reclaiming our African roots. If we weren’t stolen from the Motherland and tortured and made to believe that we were three fourths human, our lives would have been completely different. Yes it’s time. Maybe it’s not the end times but the beginning of a beautiful thing for our peoples.

Like really.. With all the issues we have now all you adding this nonsense to the mix.
Chupsssssss
Why fix what’s not broke

Aw heck naw

Africa and it’s countries are predominantly Muslim. Christian populations there are tiny. So to be truthful to ‘self’ and ‘trend’ we must consider switching too and also going there for our vacations etc. All civilizations made slaves of their own people and sold them, including the West Africans.Bob Marley coined it as ‘mental slavery’ of which only some are redeemed from.

They just want it to look like they doing something in that ministry

@Carter: The madras cloth did not have anything to do with Dominica or the French Island either. The cloth was manufactured by a British company in Madras and I guess France gave support to the British company, thereby both the Brits and French introduce that as a replacement to the black countries.

I would agree with the move to the Kente Cloth. As minute as it may be, I might it is a step in the right direction towards highlighting our roots. We cannot want repatriation monies and don’t want to even know about our origin.

If there is going to be a change, my opinion is that we should live in the here and now or look to the future and stop spending so much time looking backwards. There should be a competition to design a national outfit based on what Antigua is right now – a tropical paradise where locals have roots from Africa as well as other parts of the world. Perhaps a pattern with shades of blue, turquoise, green etc. to represent the tropics and some African style patterns as a nod to the past. Perhaps add some beige to represent the Antiguans from the Middle East, Europe and Asia who have been living here for half a century and whose children were born here as well. One love. Unite as a country. Seriously tired of the focus on the past. Can’t move forward if we’re always looking backward. Time to fix the island and make it habitable in a sustainable way for all who live here now.