This is one
of my favourite fabrics. You see it all over Ghana, with both women and men
wearing it all the time. Called ‘L’Oeil de Boeuf’ (Bull's eye) in many francophone countries,
the print is known quite simply as ‘Eyes’ in Nigeria, as well as being called
‘God’s eye’ in Ghana.
In Benin,
the print has a bit of a story behind it. It is called ‘Lisu ya pite’ which
means ‘lustful eye’ and is worn by a woman to show a man that she desires him.
So if you’ve got any seducing to you and need a bit of help, you’ll be able to
have your own lustful eye shirt or bag when Madame Tây launches in January!
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| Madame Tây's 'Eye' fabric |
This was one of my favorite patterns in Ghana; I had a dress made of it that I absolutely wore out. (I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Brong-Ahafo).
ReplyDeleteThere was a similar one that I only saw in a red funeral cloth; it lacked the bars with the diagonal hatching pattern, and the eyes were crying. I was not able to find it for sale before I left Ghana, and I still would like to purchase some if I'm ever able to find it again.