Research in Group: Houenoude, Ndiaye & Soloum

RésoTissus: Reappropriation, circulation and documentation of African textile know-how

The RésoTissus project (2026) aims to create an international collaborative research network on African textile heritage. Supported by the Franco-German Provenance Research Fund, it brings together African and European researchers and museums to study textile know-how: Cameroonian ndop, Abomey appliqués, Ivorian strip weaving, Malian bogolan, Senegalese bazin and Chadian sahelian practices. The project focuses on supporting young researchers and explores transnational circulation, provenance and the contemporary reappropriation of ancestral techniques through an approach combining art history, anthropology and digital humanities. One of the activities planned as part of the project is the organisation of the international symposium ‘Woven Legacies: Histories, Circulations and Reappropriations of Textile Heritage in Africa’ (25-27 November 2026).

This international symposium is the culmination of the RésoTissus project and will be held at CY Cergy Paris University. It will provide a space for interdisciplinary dialogue to examine the historical trajectories of African textiles, their circulation between Africa and Europe, and the current dynamics of heritage reappropriation. Researchers, artisans, curators and contemporary artists will discuss the transmission of know-how, issues of provenance and new forms of promotion. The event aims to strengthen international collaboration and lay the foundations for a sustainable research network on African textile heritage.