Originally published on orature.africa
n this thought-provoking essay, Oriiz U. Onuwaje challenges the idea that technology began with silicon chips and screens. He reframes African strip-weaving traditions—such as Aso Oke, Akwete, and Kente—as early forms of computational design.
Long before modern computers, West African weavers mastered logic, repetition, grids, and binary-like choices on the loom. Each “over” and “under” movement functioned like source code, turning textiles into living algorithms that carried identity, memory, and meaning. The article reveals how weaving was not merely decorative craft, but a sophisticated system of information storage and communication—centuries before the digital age.
