Mr. Rufus T. Stevenson’s Textile Ministry

February 9 Mr. Rufus T. Stevenson’s Textile Ministry

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Mr. Stevenson displays his textiles

By Pat Rosier

Perhaps you’ve seen the refined African textiles that grace our church each year during Black History Month. Perhaps you have wondered who this person is who has graced our sanctuary with such rich and colorful décor. For this we give gratitude to Rufus T. Stevenson.

Mr. Stevenson’s illustrious history with African art started in l962 when he joined the Peace Corps and set out for his assigned destination — Sierra Leone. As one of the second set of Peace Corps volunteers, it was love at first sight –love for the people, for the art, culture and the land. “The spirit of the ancestors harnessed the moment and I was seduced by the richness of the culture,” is the way Mr. Stevenson described his early ties to the Motherland. In the nearly fifty years since he first placed foot on the Continent, he has traveled to every country in Africa except three.

Don’t think that Metropolitan A.M.E is the only edifice that has been dressed with Mr. Stevenson’s collection. For more than a decade, he has dressed the stage at the Kennedy Center for the Washington Dance Institute‘s annual Spirit on Kwanzaa celebration. The Greater New Hope Baptist Church, the Lincoln Theatre, Union Temple Baptist Church and 19th Street Baptist Church have also been graced with Stevenson’s African textiles that evoke the beauty of the continent.

Stevenson has also been asked to share his textiles and talents at historic events in the Nation’s Capital. Over 15 years ago, Louis Farrakham asked him to drape the platform at the historic Million-Man March. Mrs. Coretta Scott King also asked Stevenson to display his African fabrics for the fortieth anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in 2003.

Mr. Stevenson is so drawn to the Motherland that he takes tour groups to Africa nearly every year. Each time he returns to Washington with additional pieces to share his African experiences with others. When asked which his favorite country is, he responds with deep excitement in his voice, “Mali – its history is so rich, deep and dynamic.”

His collection, called the Tiefing (pronounced like chafing) Collection, is named in honor of the Bambara People of Mali. The textiles, masks and other objects in his collection surround one with jaw-dropping awe. It displays his devout dedication to a remarkable people in a land that still beckons many of us with outstretched arms. It is a collection all should see.

For persons who consider themselves history buffs, Stevenson’s story of African history will grab your curiosity and keep you hooked like an exciting movie. While Stevenson is considered a curator, he is equally a historian and a true storyteller. Through his artifacts, mud cloths, Kente cloth and cultural roots, he weaves remarkable events of a fascinating land filled with even more fascinating people and places that make one long to see the Continent. For those who have never made the journey, your bags may be packed and you may be on your way before you can say Tiefing.

There’s a saying, “We don’t know where we going unless we know from whence we come.” Rufus Stevenson has done a great service in elegantly preserving a part of our past. By his wisdom of preservation, he guides us on the path to remember and respect the history of our forefathers, foremothers and motherland.

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