raditional weaving is dying art in Ethiopia

– Despite fast growing fashion and design industry, centuries-old traditional weaving noticeably dying out

By Abebech Tamene

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Despite a fast growing fashion and design industry, centuries-old traditional weaving is noticeably dying out in Ethiopia.

In ancient times, Ethiopians wore traditional outfits woven from white cotton with wooden looms.

Though weaving has been a way of life for centuries all over Ethiopia, the Dorze ethnic group in the south of the country is best known for weaving and their variously textured woven cotton cloths.

Nowadays, traditional weavers supply their white cotton cloth to designers, who in turn make all sorts of modern designs.

Ethiopian fashion has entered the international fashion industry, with well-known Ethiopian designers and models running fashion lines in many countries.

Ethiopian weavers mainly supply their products to the local market. Designers of hand-woven traditional garments buy the products, work on a design, sew and embroider the cloth, before exporting the end product.

These end products come in a variety of forms: skirts, shawls, shorts and trousers, scarfs, caps, bags, sweaters and shirts among others.

Traditional weaving is nearing extinction because the new generation is not showing interest, and for good reason.

In exclusive interviews with Anadolu Agency, some Ethiopian weavers said they are improving quality of their products and receiving greater demand – but are not being paid well for their labor and time.

For instance, they said that they are paid nearly $40 for cloth sufficient for a shawl and a dress, but only $6 for a scarf, which is very low considering the weaver’s labor and time.

– Weavers ‘not getting fair payment or recognition’

The Traditional Weavers Selam Teramaj Plc association was established 13 years ago.

One of the association’s 30 members, Gessa Gera, 80, told Anadolu Agency: “I learned weaving from my family. My children are government employees because I sent them to school so that they can lead a better life.”

Arssi Shanko, 42, said: “I have been weaving for the last 16 years… The new generation is not interested in weaving because it is tiresome work and the income gained from it is not satisfactory compared to the labor and time it takes.”

“I do not think the new generation will continue with weaving,” he said. “Designers are the ones getting profit and recognition out of our work.”

Tesfaye Geressu, 72, said that his father taught him how to weave when he was 14.

“Weaving is now a respected business – unlike bygone times when the trade, together with pottery and smithing, was frowned upon as undignified,” he said. “But my children do not want to engage in it, they are government employees.”

Shitaw Begashaw, 32, said: “There is no question of the importance of designers in promoting our traditional cloths across the world. However, weavers are the ones doing 80 percent of the work and are not getting fair payment or recognition.”

“I feel sad because some designers are getting recognition as if they have entire ownership of the products – forgetting our work,” he said, adding that weavers should get a fair share of the revenue generated from the export of traditional cloths.

– Fair pay and the future

Genet Kebede, owner of Paradise Fashion, told Anadolu Agency that “the final product depends on the quality of input, including yarn and threads among others, which increase demand for our traditional cloth and make us competitive in the global market.”

Genet, who attended design school in Buenos Aires, Argentina for three years, and also studies fashion in Italy, exports her hand-woven fabrics to the UK.

“I have been in this business for 22 years,” she said. “We do not have much choice here, but in other countries there are different kinds of yarn ranging from synthetic to natural yarn and cashmere.”

“I pay 60 percent of my income to traditional weavers, who supply me with the hand-woven cloth,” she said. “I think that amount is fair.”

“If there are no weavers then there will be no hand-woven garment designers,” she said. “Weavers should earn an appropriate income.”

Genet said the way to preserve Ethiopia’s traditional weaving industry is to incorporate weaving into technical and vocational education and other higher learning institutions’ curricula.

 “In this case, the students learn weaving as they study other subjects,” she said. “This will help future generations preserve our unique traditional weaving.”

Source: newsfultoncounty.com