African heritage — Ethnic Supplies

Travelling through Rwanda

March 26, 2010 By idahorner 5 Comments

Last December I set off for Rwanda at the request of one my clients. I met two co-ops Gahaya Links and KIAKA

The co-op was in existence well before the genocide and has 400 permanent members but workks with at least 2000 artisans.

From Rwanda December 2009

Jean de Dieu selected them as one of the two groups that would be best placed to meet my client’s needs so he took me to meet them.

I have done this so many times i.e. meeting artisans, it is part of the criteria for groups to come on board, but it each time I meet a new group it feels like I am doing so for the first time. I also almost always end up in tears when I hear the human stories behind the work. Doubt sets in and I wonder whether I am the best person to do the work I am doing.

This group has both men and women as part of the group. They have a variety of products, some of which are produced on site. There was a whole section dedicated to woodwork. What I found fascinating in this section was the brush making section. I had never given any thought about how brushes are made and here I was watching the whole process, handmade brushes! The choice of bristles was interesting too, there were the usual plastic ones but I found the ones made from the coconut shell more interesting

The coconut shell is shaved and what you end up with is this pile.

From Rwanda December 2009

This is then hand-woven into the wooden end of the brush as bristles! It is this creativity and ingenuity of the people that I work with that almost always reduce me to tears

This group’s work is largely exported to France and the typical wage for the members is $100 a month but some may earn as much as $400 a month depending on what they do at the co-op. For a country where people live on a $1 a day, I would say this is a very good wage.

From Rwanda December 2009

Hair ornament made from cow horn

I spoke to 2 women who were making place-mats from the banana fibre the lady on the left is a single Mum of 9, her husband went to Congo and is believed dead, the other has 5 children with a husband at home who doesn’t have a job. They told me that the biggest chunk of money they earn is put towards the children’s education

From Rwanda December 2009

The co-op is situated on the shadows of a volcanic mountain and consequently there are pumice stones everywhere. I asked permission to take some away and the head of the co-op was stunned that I would want to take away what is considered rubbish to the locals. I explained that we in Europe pay for this stuff and I just couldn’t over the fact that there was so much of it here. I asked him whether they sell the pumice stones and he told me they don’t, but he now understand why when groups arrive from America, the women are seen filling their bags with the stones whilst the men look at the crafts and explore the workshops!

Jean De Dieu, was surprised too when he realised that this group could potentially have an income from something right on their door step!

These are the sleeping baskets made by this group. My Vet client really lvoed them and the group is currently working on an order for him.

From Rwanda December 2009

Filed Under: African heritage, Poverty in Africa Tagged With: dog baskets, kiaka, kigali, lake kivu, pet baskets, Rwanda

African Wild Silk- from cocoon to fabric

December 8, 2009 By ethnicsupplies 2 Comments

If you have been following my blog in the last few days you will have read about Africa’s best kept secret .

Yesterday we looked at the role of silk in the Malagasy culture

In today’s thread we will look at how the cocoons are transformed into a usable fabric, it is an involved if not fascinating process.

When Silk worm cocoons are collected in the tapia forest, the Landibe eggs are subjected to various treatments, before there are turned into usable thread.

The first stage involves the soaking of the cocoons in water and are turned upside down using a simple metal tool.

This treatment increases their volume four or five-fold, and they are then dried in the sun. When dry, they are boiled in soapy water for an hour and a half, and are kept in a container or cooking pot for about four days.

After this fermentation, the silk material is produced, which is cleaned with soap and dried. It is beaten with a stick to make it suppler. After drying, the wild silk is ready to be spun. As in the past, spinners in Manandriana use traditional weaving equipment.

After the thread is formed, women remove the gum in it by boiling it in soapy water for about a quarter of an hour and then leaving it to soak for half a day. The thread is then rinsed and dried in the shade.

Weavers in Madagascar traditionally use brown thread, dyed naturally, to make burial shrouds. However, faced with evolution in silk products on the market, women are diversifying to produce a range of fabrics and scarves in a wide range of natural colours.

They use a mix of domesticated silk and wild silk, experimenting with different weaving techniques and natural dyes. About twenty plants are used to make the different colours, which can come from different parts of the plant: their leaves, stems, bark, and roots. Various colours, such as red, green, brown, yellow, grey, black, are produced depending on local knowledge and practices.

The women of Manandriana still use simple tools, old wooden looms, during weaving and various weaving groups in Amoron’i Mania are benefiting from essential technical and material assistance from NY TANINTSIKA’s project.

For a selection of handwoven wild silk scarves from the project please visit our online shop

I hope you have enjoyed learning about African wild silk and as usual if you have any views please share them

Filed Under: African heritage, Business Opportunity Tagged With: antural dyes, ethnic supplies, handmade, Malagasy, silk scarves, wild silk

African wild silk and its role in Malagasy culture

December 7, 2009 By idahorner 4 Comments

In yesterday’s thread I introduced you to wild silk and suggested that it is one of Africa’s best kept secret.

As we all know when one hears the word SILK one immediately associates it with luxury or even indulgence. But something we don’t do, I certainly never did is think about its origins and the role it plays in the culture of the communities that produce/process it.

Today’s thread is therefore about taking you on a journey

Silk holds an important place in Malagasy culture and according to a Malagasy proverb, “Ny Lambalandy: velona itafiana, maty isalorana”, which loosely translated means In silk one drapes ones’ self whilst alive as well as well as when dead. Silk is a sign of nobility for Malagasy people and the deceased have to be wrapped in a silk burial shroud, or “lambamena”, as sign of wealth.

On my last visit to Madagascar I happened upon a procession on the outskirts of a town called Antisirabe (which is a must visit when in Madagascar), I am not quite sure what the ceremony is called can only be described as waking the dead as it was do with celebrating the lives of those that died a while ago. It involves reopening the tomb and wrapping the body in a new silk cloth, lots of food, street dancing and it goes on for at least three days

typical tomb in Madagascar

funeral processesion in Madagascar

In the past, villagers bordering the tapia forest did not value wild silk. During cocoon collection, the eggs were thrown away and the protein-rich chrysalides were eaten or sold.

But today Silk production has become an important income-generating activity for villagers and is a promising sector because there is a large market for silk products, both locally and in the international market.

I once heard someone say that if you wear Armani suits chances are you are wearing Malagasy silk as it is the very best silk you can get in the world. Is this therefore Africa’s best secret?

Weaving with wild silk is an activity peculiar to the Amoron’i Mania region, which is home to Madagascar’s most extensive tapia forests.

There are several people involved in the different stages of silk production; cocoon collection, reeling, weaving and the value adding of silk into clothing or decorative items (bags, shoes, clothes, lampshades…).

In the next thread I will tell you about the actual production process

Filed Under: African heritage Tagged With: Armani suits, Madagscar, Malagasy, silk, silk products