“Textile Origin Stories” at the Richmond Folk Festival

Omilade Janine Bell, founder of Richmond’s Elegba Folklore Society, believes in the profound role of textile arts in helping people reconnect with their cultural heritage. Honoring its 34 years of community programs, Janine highlighted the organization’s core values from stage at this year’s Richmond Folk Festival: “The Society is an African-centered nonprofit that engages people in various aspects of the cultural arts, as a way of re-instilling cultural foundations among African Americans.”

Janine’s commitment to this work is deeply rooted in the history of African enslavement in America, As she explained, this history “cut away” African Americans’ ability to freely express their cultural identities.

Yet, she emphasized that African cultural vibrancy persists. “We carry it inside,” Janine noted. Textile arts, for her, are a means of externalizing this heritage, creating a bridge between the past and present, and fostering a renewed sense of identity and belonging.

Virginia Humanities’ Virginia Folklife Program partnered with the Elegba Folklore Society for this year’s folk festival offerings with the intention of honoring its longstanding work and building new connections. (Read more about this partnership.) Janine, together with her daughter Imani Bell, curated “Textile Origin Stories.” The area included a stage highlighting African roots of Virginia musical traditions and an interactive exhibit featuring the material culture of four artists: Kamala Bhagat, Priyah Bhagat, Unicia R. Buster, and Martha Jones-Carter.

Janine spoke on the significance of origin stories, especially those related to textiles, in affirming the identities of African-descended peoples. The textiles on display were not just a showcase of craftsmanship but a medium for communicating love, identity, and belonging.

“I hope people will be informed, experience ‘aha’ moments, and feel embraced by the love these textiles emanate,” Janine said. She views these works as a conduit of affirmation for those who are African-descended and informative for a broad spectrum of viewers.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Kamala Bhagat’s textile work is deeply tied to storytelling, earth-centered spirituality, and sustainable solutions.

“Folklore is about storytelling,” she explained, noting that her designs embody not only her voice but also the voices of the artisans who inspire her. “As a designer, you’re also adding your own narrative with each piece.”

Kamala’s commitment to sustainability is central to her work, as she describes herself as a “regenerative designer” who strives to create textiles that foster a deeper connection between the wearer and the natural world: “My pieces are here to ground you and continue that connection with nature. And in order to wear my piece, you have to understand this aspect.”

Unicia R. Buster shared the inspiration she finds in Adinkra cloth—a traditional Ghanaian textile known for its symbolic meaning. When asked about her hopes for what the festival audience took away from her exhibit, Unicia emphasized education and hands-on engagement.

“My expectation was that people left my booth with a better understanding of what Adinkra cloth is, where it came from, and how it’s made,” Unicia explained. She provided live demonstrations, allowing festival-goers to witness the intricate stamping process firsthand. “I was pleasantly surprised that a few people wanted me to stamp the clothing that they were wearing. It was like them including a small piece of my story into their story.”

Unicia is also committed to environmental sustainability, particularly in an industry known for its environmental impact. “The fabric industry does a lot of harm, especially with dyes,” she noted. Her demonstration included natural dye-making methods, inspired by the Kansanshi people, who used plant-based materials to produce inks and dyes that are environmentally safe. “Every part of the process—including making the ink using the bark of the tree—was sustainable and didn’t harm the environment.”

In preserving traditional crafting of cloth and design, both Unicia and Kamala demonstrate that alternatives are available. Their artistry reflects a traditional ecological knowledge of fiber and dyes that bucks the current onslaught of fast fashion and provides an envisioning of fiber artistry rooted in ancestral practices. 

African Traditions, Memories & Care

Martha Jones-Carter hopes to deepen public understanding of the African influence on American quilting traditions.

“Africans were experts in textile-making when they arrived in America as enslaved people,” she explained. While quilting was not common in Africa, enslaved Africans blended European-American styles with their own textile techniques, creating unique patterns and designs. “You can see African American quilt traits—large-scale designs, bright colors, improvisations, and symbolic forms—reflecting African cultural designs.” For enslaved people, quilts became powerful storytelling tools, preserving family memories and oral histories.

Priyah Bhagat uses multiple textile mediums such as cloth, markers, and even cast iron skillets to create her one-of-a-kind dolls. For her, dolls are more than mere objects; they are powerful tools for storytelling and cultural expression.

“I believe I can take energy and make a doll,” she explained, emphasizing how dolls carry an inherent energy that connects them to the people who engage with them.

Priyah hopes to elevate dolls within the art world and broader society, underscoring their use in child development, education, and therapy. She cites their role in children’s play as integral for them to learn empathy and care. For Priyah, dolls are an “institution” found globally and the festival this year has allowed her to show the public that they can also experience dolls as an energy and a mechanism for storytelling.

“Textile Origin Stories” at the Richmond Folk Festival provided an important platform for artists to share their work and invited audiences to engage with the cultural significance embedded in each textile. The organizers collaborated to create a space for reflection, offering moments of revelation where art, heritage, and humanity can converge. Participating artists also provided counter-narratives to cultural erasure, environmental degradation and lack of connection.

“Textile Origin Stories” was also intended to honor Africa as a critically important place in our shared history.

“There’s so many people, by now it’s multiple generations, who say, ‘We thank you for the empowerment,’” Janine said. “Prayerfully, one day in America, in the world, there’ll cease to be the need for that. But until that day comes, to be able to share some very simple stories that are so powerful about our humanity, about Africa as the center of the world and the cradle of civilization, about the diaspora, and how all of this influences everybody—we want to keep going.”

Paulina Guerrero works in higher education and is based in Richmond VA. She has been writing, researching, and working with communities and artists in various capacities for the last 30 years. Feel free to connect with her via LinkedIn or her website.