From Africa to the World: Mali Ya Abdulla at the British Museum

Did you know that Mali Ya Abdulla kangas aren’t only cherished in homes across East Africa — they’re also part of the world’s great collections?

A selection of their iconic cloths, including uncut kangas, two Kisutu kangas and even a square sample the store gave away in 2003, can be found at the British Museum. These pieces were previously part of the collection of Christopher J. Spring, longtime curator in the African Section of the British Museum (1987–2018) and author of numerous works on African textiles and contemporary art.

These kangas were designed by Abdulhaq Kaderdina, who joined his family business, Kaderdina Hajee Essak Limited, in 1989. They were acquired in Mombasa in 2003 and bear the distinctive maker’s mark: K.H.E. REGISTERED "MALI YA ABDULLA", MOMBASA, KENYA.

RED KISUTU

Curator’s Comments
Kangas are printed and purchased in pairs, then cut into single cloths before wear; this pair remains uncut. This type of kanga is known as Kisutu and is traditionally worn at weddings by the bride and her friends and relations; the distinctive central pattern is known as 'crosses and tangerines'. As in this example, Kisutu does not traditionally carry an inscription. Unlike other kanga designs, that of Kisutu remains perennially popular in Tanzania and Kenya. Although printed in other colours and variant designs, the traditional form and colour combination remains the most popular.

GREEN KISUTU

Curator’s Comments
Kangas are printed and purchased in pairs, then cut into single cloths before wear; this pair remains uncut. This type of kanga is known as Kisutu and is traditionally worn at weddings by the bride and her friends and relations; the distinctive central pattern is known as 'crosses and tangerines'. As in this example, Kisutu does not traditionally carry an inscription. Unlike other kanga designs, that of Kisutu remains perennially popular in Tanzania and Kenya. Although printed in other colours, such as the green of this example, and variant designs, the traditional form and colour combination of red, white and black remains the most popular.

ASILI HAIPOTEI

Description
 A rectangular, machine-printed white cotton cloth, kanga, with a continuous patterned border of orange, black and red floral motifs, enclosing a central white rectangle with six roundel designs in red, orange, black and white. Surrounding each roundel is the name MALI YA ABDULLA (the shop in Mombasa which produces and sells the kanga), repeated four times and written in small black dots. Just above the centre of the lower border is an inscription in Kiswahili written in the Roman script: ASILI HAIPOTEI — "Culture never disappears".

Curator’s Comments
Kangas are printed and purchased in pairs, then cut into single cloths before wear.

URAFIKI HUKOMA UDUGU HAUNA BADILI

Description
 A square, machine-printed white cotton cloth, kanga, with a continuous patterned border of orange, black and red 'cashew' motifs, enclosing a red, cross-hatched square with a central orange form within which a message from the makers is written: “WITH BEST COMPLIMENTS FROM DUKA LA ABDULLA” together with the address of their shop in Mombasa. Just above the centre of the lower border is an inscription in Kiswahili written in Roman script: URAFIKI HUKOMA UDUGU HAUNA BADILI (“Friendship ends but brotherhood endures”).

Curator’s Comments
This is a square sample cloth given away free by the shop.

UUNGWANA SIJADI

Description
 A rectangular, machine-printed white cotton cloth, kanga, with a continuous patterned border of yellow, black and white diamond-shaped motifs, enclosing a central rectangle with fifteen X-shaped designs with small floral motifs in their centres. Just above the centre of the lower border is an inscription in Kiswahili written in the Roman script: UUNGWANA SIJADI — "Faithfulness is not cultural".

Curator’s Comments
Kangas are printed and purchased in pairs, then cut into single cloths before wear; this pair remains uncut.

MOYO WANGU UMETUA

Description
 A rectangular, machine-printed white cotton cloth, kanga, with a continuous patterned border of yellow, black and purple circular motifs, enclosing a central rectangle with fifteen large roundels surrounded by floral motifs in the same colours. Just above the centre of the lower border is an inscription in Kiswahili written in the Roman script: MOYO WANGU UMETUA — "My heart is yours".

Curator’s Comments
Kangas are printed and purchased in pairs, then cut into single cloths before wear; this pair remains uncut.

SINA SIRI NINA JIBU

Description
 A rectangular, machine-printed white cotton cloth, kanga, with a continuous patterned border of yellow, black and red floral motifs, enclosing a central red rectangle with small, repeating 'rain-drop' motifs in white and black, and eight large yellow roundels containing red floral motifs with 'chrysanthemum' centres and 'cashew' petals. Just above the centre of the lower border is an inscription in Kiswahili written in the Roman script: SINA SIRI NINA JIBU — "I have no secrets but I have an answer".

Curator’s Comments
Kangas are printed and purchased in pairs, then cut into single cloths before wear. The name of the politician (Nasir Najib?*) who used this kanga in his campaign is concealed within the inscription: SINA SIRI NINA JIBU.

SINA SIRI NINA JIBU

Description
 A rectangular, machine-printed white cotton cloth, kanga, with a continuous patterned border of yellow, black and red floral motifs, enclosing a central red rectangle with repeating diagonal designs in red, yellow and white. Just above the centre of the lower border is an inscription in Kiswahili written in the Roman script: SINA SIRI NINA JIBU — "I have no secrets but I have an answer".

Curator’s Comments
Kangas are printed and purchased in pairs, then cut into single cloths before wear. The name of the politician (Nasir Najib?*) who used this kanga in his campaign is concealed within the inscription: SINA SIRI NINA JIBU.

From Biashara Street in Mombasa to the galleries of London, Mali Ya Abdulla’s kangas continue to carry stories across generations and geographies. Each one is more than fabric — it is history, identity and artistry woven together.

Explore our full feature on Mali Ya Abdulla here.

*The phrase SINA SIRI NINA JIBU (“I have no secrets but I have an answer”) carries a unique political story. During the 2002 elections in Mombasa, Najib Balala challenged veteran politician Shariff Nassir for the Mvita parliamentary seat. Balala’s slogan — Si Nasir, Ni Najib (“Not Nassir, but Najib”) — became the memorable Sina Siri, Nina Jibu, which, when featured on the kangas here, stands as an example of the layered, dual meanings often carried by kanga inscriptions.

Image credits

All images © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.