The Swahili word 'kanga' refers to two brightly-patterned cloths which, during my own days n Kenya were rationed. Kangas were usually worn by coastal women but became more fashionable with the advent of independence, hence the profusion of brightly-coloured shirts.
The kanga is also referred to as "Swahili women's unsewn dress" While I was stationed in the Teita(Voi) district of Kenya's Coast Province, one of my duties was to issue "Permits to Purchase kangas". Mervyn Maciel
