This tricolour mkeka has been preserved at the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin since 1907. It bears a Swahili invocation poem of four verses in the wimbo genre, interwoven in Arabic letters. For many years, this mat as well as other written artefacts from the East African Coast have remained silent testimonies of the past. Here they find a new voice to resonate in the world.
Find out more about this historical mkeka and the rest of the collection in Berlin in the interactive PDF “Talking Mats. Key Information on historical mikeka in Berlin”.
Voice: Najma Mohamed Lali Mahazi
Image credits: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum und Museum für Asiatische Kunst / Martin Franken
Video editing: Rebeca Ofek