Earth Warrior

Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Stories are told in pigments, tones and hues; a kaleidoscope as diverse as the cultures and peoples of the continent. For the initiative Colours of Africa, a collaborative project with Google Arts & Culture, we asked 60 African creatives to capture the unique spirit of their country in a colour which represents home to them.

The projects they have created are personal and distinct stories of Africa, put into images, videos, texts and illustrations. Each artist has also attempted to articulate what being African means to their identity and view of the world.

Colour:Khaki Warrior
Country:Uganda

Artwork Rationale:

Many believe that Uganda was the location of the garden of Eden, that it is a holy land. I certainly believe it is a spiritual place. We are warriors of the earth.

My Ugandan Earth Warrior jumpsuit is inspired by the essence of Uganda and its natural energies. This warm, mustard-yellow colour can represent the sun, the earth, the sand. I am playing with the elements to capture the spirit of my country. This colour can exist in all the elemental states. The tones of the jumpsuit are a mix of the colour of the soil and the sun. All of life comes from these; the earth gives birth to all greenery, fuelled by the rays of the sun.

There is balance in the texture, colours and materials that make up the garment: the patterns in the jumpsuit represent femininity, though there are elements of both the masculine and feminine in the piece. The jumpsuit is not gendered and can be worn by everyone; it pays homage to the kings and queens of our history and our mythology, who would sometimes marry people of the same sex.

The headpiece, with its triangular pattern of shells, represents the headdresses worn when entering a holy place, or donned before rituals are carried out.

We are each warriors, battling our internal demons. We are all engaged with a deep and spiritual battle within ourselves, but if we can win this battle and love and value ourselves, then we can be better mentors to others.

Uganda, though not free of prejudices (judgement is part of the curse of being human), is a welcoming and mixed community. The Earth Warrior is the protector of this unity, both internal and external, physically and spiritually.

What it means to be African

To me being African is being one with nature, embracing the flow and call of the earth, our ancestors, and our destinies. It is to engage in our unlimited natural powers and light and evolve into the creatures we are – bold, strong, mystical and united. I am African: sun and moon, air and fire, soil and blood.

Biography

Gloria Wavamunno is a Ugandan fashion designer and the art director and founder of Kampala Fashion Week, which was established in 2014. She is also a founding member of the Fashion Council of Uganda.

Wavamunno founded her non-binary fashion label Gwavah in 2009. She constructs unique fashion items with a focus on quality fabric and tailoring.

From an early age, Wavamunno received an education in textiles and tailoring in her family’s garment factory. Only later, after studying fashion abroad, did she come to see the craft of tailoring as a design practice that could be used for creative expression.