World Wednesday: natural dyed textile from Rwanda

Hi friends! How are you doing? It's been a while since I last did a World Wednesday post. Sorry for that! To make it up, I have a beautiful one today. I was really impressed when I first read about the project and saw the photos.

Special fabrics have a long history in Africa. In West and Central Africa, the so called 'pagnes' are very popular. Colourful patterned textiles, made into dresses, scarfs and headwear. It's amazing how creative the designs often turn out and with how much grace the women wear them. But guess where the most popular textiles in West Africa come from.. Holland! Yes, no joking. The company Vlisco produces them. 

Fortunately, more and more fabric is designed and produced in Afric itself. In Rwanda, a remarkable project called Atelier Rwanda, explores design possibilities in the field of textile while using local fabric, available techniques and the skills to support the identity of Rwanda’s local culture.

Local basketry craftswomen, tailors and students colloborate to study natural dyeing in the context of contemporary textile production in Rwanda. I really liked the result. Look at that beautiful scarf! You know what it is? It's onion dyed cotton sewed with corn fiber. Can you believe it?

 

Please check out the whole story on DesignBoom.

Images: Atelier Rwanda

Do you like what you see? Do you know of similar projects? 

World Wednesday: Freeset jute bags

Op de valreep een nieuwe World Wednesday post! Via het Cosa Verder blog leerde ik over Freeset. Dit fair trade bedrijf biedt werkgelegenheid aan vrouwen die gevangen zitten in de seksindustrie in Kolkata (eerst: Calcutta), India. Deze vrouwen maken jute tassen en eco t-shirts.

De jute vezels komen van de jute plant, die veel voorkomt in het warme, natte klimaat van de Gangesdelta in India en Bangladesh. De tassen zijn versierd met gerecyclede saris. De t-shirts worden gemaakt van organische katoen en geverfd met inkt op waterbasis.

Een koppel uit Nieuw Zeeland zette Freeset in 2001 op en leerde twintig vrouwen naaien. Met veel training en geduld keerden inmiddels 140 vrouwen de sexindustrie de rug toe om tassen te produceren voor de export.

Bedrijven kunnen ook tassen naar eigen ontwerp laten maken.

* alle foto's: Freeset




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World Wednesday: the rose of Africa

Eufemistically, it's sometimes called the rose of Afica, flowering in bushes, streets, gutters, trees... the plastic bag! Fortunately, bright minds know how to put this litter to better use. Two great examples:

Tawakal is a small organization in Somaliland that supports women and children. To generate income, they gather litter from the street, primarily plastic, wash it and turn it into bags and baskets. Look how fabulous!

• Photos: Chantal Heijnen for Internationale Samenwerking

In Mali, another beautiful country where the African rose causes trouble, the designers of KIX developed a colourful, flexible chair from recycled plastic bags.

I like the shape of the chair, since it reflects the relaxed African attitude :) I can see someone hanging in there for hours.. That's what I liked so much when I lived in Africa, that people live so much less by the clock. Our lives in the West are often dictated by this set of rules we once set to ourselves to make life simpler. And of course it's handy to set a time for an appointment, but the time should not become a dictator. Remember what it feels like when you are on holiday and you wake up one morning not knowing which day it is. And it doesn't matter! Isn't that wonderful? 

• Photos: KIX

Have a relaxed day! :)

World Wednesday: molas from Panama

In my last job, I was so fortunate to travel a bit. Early 2010 a meeting took me to Panama. Now, I don’t know about you, but I had no idea what to expect of that country. The Panama canal was about the only thing I knew. After having spent a week there, Panama still puzzled me, but I had experienced some extraordinary beauty.

The trip took far away from the flats in the capital to the north, yes, to the Caribbean Sea. Our group entered a boat that brought us to Kuna Yala, a collection of islands about an hour from the nearest mainland. These islands are inhabited by the Kuna. The Kuna are one of only a few Indigenous Peoples that have autonomy over their land. The Kuna women make and wear colorful textiles called molas. In the Kuna museum on one on the islands we were explained the technique of molas: several layers of different-coloured cloth are sewn together. Then a pattern is created by cutting away parts of each layers, after which the layers are sewn down. The finest molas have nearly invisible stitches, made using tiny needles. It can take months to complete a mola!

The mola patterns are also used on other items that are sold to tourists, like bags and small parcels.

World Wednesday: Beautiful Bali

January just doesn't seem to get out of the way. It's like the cold, grey weather is here to stay. These days make me long for tropical places where I can just put on my slippers in the morning and pop outside. To places where tropical birds sing their vibrant songs and the smell of flowers is abundant.

Or the smell of incense.. Like on Bali. To me the most beautiful place on earth. I had the chance to visit when I was three months in Indonesia for work. I stayed in a small guesthouse in the middle of rice paddies. Every morning when I left the guesthouse, I could spot small offerings of flowers, rice and incense everywhere I walked. On my doorstep, on at the entrance of the compound, on the sidewalks, steps, statues.. With these daily offerings the Balinese appease the various gods of Balinese hinduism. Women and men make these offerings fresh every day, plaiting palm leaves into small baskets or patterns to keep away evil spirits.

Spirituality and nature are integral parts of everyday life for the Balinese and you see this reflected in the island's architecture. Wood, bamboo and rattan are everywhere, earth tones are dominant, and thatched roofs abound. Combined with gorgeous green landscapes, the houses ooze relaxing, contemplative vibes. Simple and elegant.

And did I mention the rich Balinese culture - painting, sculpture, woodcarving, handcrafts, and performing arts? The fantastic food? Oh well, let's hold you up no longer, I'll take you there with some pictures! Some are from my own journey there, others are from the great book Living in Bali, by Taschen.

View from the guesthouse and me relaxing. Not meant to make you jealous.. No really! :)



Balinese offerings

Want to see some pictures of Balinese houses? Then brace yourself  'cause here we go. The pictures are from the book Living in Bali and the houses are mostly from foreigners, but you get a good view of Balinese style.

These homes are clearly from foreigners, because showers in Bali are mostly 'open air'. It was the most amazing experience when I discovered the bathing room in my gueshouse. A place like a little garden, with loose stones on the floor, flowers coming down the wall, and except for a small roof, open air. A tap with which to put water in a bucket, and water yourself with a big spoon.

'My' shower.. :)

Typical for Balinese style, no walls!

I know, I know, too good to be true, this tree house!

Impossible to end this post without a picture of frangipani. The flower that - can I really say that? yes I can - changed my life. The most delicate, sweet perfume, a flower that carries hope, love and sunshine with it. I currently have a flowering hyacinth on my table, that does a very good job of bringing a wonderful smell as well!

Well, that was World Wednesday for today. Hope you liked the journey. Let me know if you have tips for this weekly column. Have a nice day! 

World Wednesday: from scrap iron to stoves in Cameroon

Anyone who has ever been to Africa knows how Africans are stars in making everything out of nothing. Give a tomato to a 'maman' and she'll serve you the most delicious meal. Hand a few empty cans to a boy on the street, and he'll make you a the coolest mini car.

I was reminded of this when I read this great story about metal workers in Maroua, a place in the north of Cameroon. Northern Cameroon is quite isolated from the rest of the country. It's also dirt poor and very, very hot. There's barely anything there, except lots of plastic stuff imported (or smuggled) from neighboring Nigeria and Chinese motorbikes. And then, as also happens often in Africa, you find jewels among the dirt, beauty where you least expect it.

These metalworkers in Maroua transform piles of scrap iron into finely finished tools, stoves, buckets, pans, replacement parts and other useful stuff for the local population.

As you can see in the videos, it's hard and dirty work. But it pays off: according to Bill, the tools are of very high quality and in big demand.

That's what I call craft!

{photos: Bill Zimmerman}

Iedereen die ooit in Afrika is geweest weet hoe goed Afrikanen zijn in van alles uit niets maken. Geef een tomato aan 'maman' en ze schotelt je een overheerlijk maal voor. Geef een paar lege blikken aan een jongetje op straat, en hij maakt er een vernuftige speelgoedauto van.


Ik moest hieraan denken toen ik dit verhaal las over metaalwerkers in Maroua, een plaats in het noorden van Kameroen. Noord Kameroen is erg geisoleerd van de rest van het land. De streek is arm en erg, erg heet. Er is weinig te vinden, behalve veel geimporteerde (of gesmokkelde) plastic huishoudspullen uit aangrenzend Nigeria en Chinese bromfietsen. En dan opeens, zoals zovaak in Afrika, vind je juwelen tussen het vuil, schoonheid waar je het het minst verwacht.


Deze metaalwerkers in Maroua veranderen schrootijzer in nieuwe handige producten: ovens, emmers, pannen, onderdelen en andere bruikzame spullen.


Zoals je in de video kunt zien is het hard werken. Maar dan krijg je er ook wat voor terug: volgens Bill zijn de producten van hoge kwaliteit en is de vraag groot.


Dat noem ik nog eens 'crafty' bezig zijn!

World Wednesday: crafts from Zimbabwe

Many of the blogs that I follow with great pleasure feature mostly (interior) design, arts and crafts from the US/Europe/Australia. While I absolutely LOVE all the amazing stuff, creativitiy, design and handmade items from these continents (did I mention a visit to Copenhagen started my love for design?), I have witnessed on my travels so much beauty and creativity in other parts of the world that are barely seen outside these countries. So my idea is to feature work from artisans, designers and craftswomen and - men from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Every Wednesday I will bring you a story; World Wednesday.

In this first series I'm going to introduce you to Eco Africa Social Adventures. This organization empowers women in Zimbabwe through crafting. In 1998, founder Janice Ashby was visiting this country in southern Africa. In a gift shop a photo album made from unusual handmade papers caught her attention. She soon located the small pioneering group of papermakers crafting African style handmade papers. A designer herself, Janice began teaching local African women to craft her designs made from the papers.

Eco Africa’s crafters make their own paper from scrap cardboard boxes and scrap shredded paper collected from offices. The website shows the interesting story of how the paper is made, including scrap cotton and sisal fibers.

Apart from the crafters and their families, crafters in other parts of the country benefit from the crafting business. Women in the hills 500 km from where Eco Africa is located spun twine from sisal plants that grow in the region and dye them with flower petals

You can buy their products here.

Veel van de blogs die ik met veel plezier volg gaan meestal over (interieur) design, kunst en craft uit de VS/ Europa/Australië. Hoewel ik verzot ben op alle prachtige spullen, creativiteit en handgemaakte dingen afkomstig uit deze continenten (had ik al gezegd dat een bezoek aan Kopenhagen het begin was van mijn liefde voor design?), heb ik tijdens reizen zoveel moois en creatiefs in andere delen van de wereld gezien dat buiten die landen nauwelijks bekend is. Dus mijn idee is om op dit blog een podium te bieden voor crafters en ontwerpers uit met name Afrika, Azë en Latijns-Amerika. Elke woensdag breng ik jullie een post in deze categorie: Wereld Woensdag.


In deze eerste serie laat ik jullie kennis maken met Eco Africa Social Adventures. Deze organisatie biedt kansen aan vrouwen in Zimbabwe door middel van crafting. In 1998 was de oprichter Janice Ashby op bezoek in dit land in zuidelijk Afrika. In een cadeauwinkel trok een fotoalbum van handgemaakt papier haar aandacht. Ze spoorde de groep papiermakers op die handgemaakt papier craften in typisch Afrikaanse stijl. Zelf ontwerper, Janice begon lokale Afrikaanse vrouwen te onderwijzen om haar ontwerpen van papier te maken.

Eco Africa crafters maken hun eigen papier uit kartonnen dozen die anders de afvalbak in zouden verdwijnen en papiersnippers verzameld op kantoren. De website laat het boeiende verhaal zien van hoe het papier wordt gemaakt, inclusief resten katoen en sisal vezels.


Naast de craftsters en hun gezinnen, profiteren ambachtslieden in andere delen van het land van het craft bedrijf. Vrouwen in de heuvels 500 km van waar Eco Africa is gevestigd spinnen garen van sisal planten die groeien in de regio en kleuren ze met met bloemblaadjes.

Je kunt de producten van Eco Africa hier kopen.