Zaire Conservation Cloth

These faded remnants of cloth are all I have left of the first piece of material that I purchased, in 1984, in Bukavu, Zaire (now the Democratic of the Congo). I was a Peace Corps trainee with only pocket money to spent. Because the standard six yard length was too expensive, another trainee and I bought one and split it.

Little did I realize that I would never see this "Universal Conservation of Animals" again. I suspect that some organization commissioned the design, similar to publishing a book in this country . Cloth, made locally by a few factories was used as a sort of billboard for expressing sentiment, celebrating an event, proselytizing, advertising, or for political propaganda.

The Congolese culture did not appreciate animals, so animal motifs were relatively rare. That is why I cherish this one piece, with the circle of a dozen animals -- some rare, some not so rare, circling a map of Africa. For example, Zaire was the only place in the world with the northern white rhino (and they may now be genetically extinct), yet chameleons, zebra, and butterflies were quite common.

And although it was possible to venerate the rhino, I could tell that no one had consulted with the local people to come up with the list of animals. Chameleons were universally despised throughout the country, and impossible to touch. Their look could emasculate men, and, although they were captured to sell to expatriates, it was always hands off, with the use of a long, slender pole.