Traditional hand-woven textiles gain popularity in Somalia

Cloth weaving craft in war- weary Somalia is not only alive and kicking but is coming into fashion and catching the attention of local entrepreneurs.

Many traditional cloth weaving workshops as well as shops selling hand woven clothes sprung up in markets in the Somali capital Mogadishu particularly in Hamarweyne open market where most of the local textiles are made.

Mohamoud Saleh owns a workshop where traditional clothes are woven at the heart of Mogadishu's Hamarweyne market.

Saleh's workshop employs handful of craftsmen who produce the brightly colored hand-woven clothes that are made into different kinds of both women's and men's clothing by local tailor shops.

"We produce fifteen to twenty yards of cloth per day and we sell them to other shops which then make them into shirts, dresses, hats and men's sarong, as well as other clothing items," Saleh told Xinhua at his workshop in Mogadishu where dozens of weavers were busy at work.

The 40-year-old businessman says the locally produced hand- woven clothes are gaining a new following against imported clothes. He adds the local textiles businesses also employ many Somalis who would otherwise be left idle because of the local economy devastated by two decades of civil conflict.

Many people wear the local clothes on special occasions while some, mostly the elderly and those in rural parts of the country, do wear them on regular bases.

The traditional clothes making industry is among local industries hit hard by two decades long civil conflict that has but destroyed almost all the state and economic infrastructures as armed factions battle out for the control of the Horn of Africa nation.

The local clothes weavers and makers say they are having hard time trying to compete with the cheap imported clothes that are seen by many as trendy and fashionable but local clothes are gaining new acceptance from Somalis in the Diaspora as well as in the local markets.

"These (local hand-woven clothes) were once the only form of clothing people had in the olden days but as clothes from other countries which are mass produced thus cheap flood the markets and have driven out local products which are a bit expensive because they are hand woven, it is a bit uphill for us," explains Yusuf Iidow, local tailor shop which makes clothes out of the woven fabric.

Local clothes enthusiasts say although they are now in the minority the traditional clothing will gain wide popularity not only for Somalis in the Diaspora but those inside the country and that would drive down prices of the local clothes which are now comparatively high.

"I think locally made clothing should be preferred by all as they can be as good as the imported ones which the youth are now thinking are trendy and fashionable these can also be launched into the global stage as other countries are doing with their traditional clothing," Mohamoud Mayeh, a Mogadishu resident said as he wore brilliantly-colored clothes made locally.

Mayeh contends that once peace and stability are restored in Somalia the nascent clothes industry could win the battle for the local market if quality and quantity of the locally made fabric matches or exceeds that of the imported goods.

Idow, 30-year-old local seamster, agrees with Mayeh but adds a lot of educating the public about their traditional heritage is required and intensive and extensive aggressive marketing campaigns to teach people about the value of buying local clothes.

"Many people are unaware of the local clothes made in their country but once we are introduced to them they are hooked and keeping coming back for them just like Somalis in the Diaspora who are our main customers," Saleh, traditional clothes workshop owner, told Xinhua.

Other workshops at a market in Mogadishu's Hamarweyne district make local shoes which are also gaining popularity among Mogadishans and Somalis in general both side and outside the country.

Both local clothes and shoes businesses employ hundreds of craftsmen while they generate some profits for the entrepreneurs who are now hoping their produce will win many more adherents locally and are ambitious they win lion's share of the market before they can think about introducing Somali fashion globally.

"Some may see this as overambitious but we can at least get a better foothold in the local market soon and in the not-so-distant future export some of our products once we are capable of marketing our clothes and shoes both nationally and internationally," predicts clothes workshop owner Saleh as he folds newly woven fabric at his workshop in Mogadishu.

Source: Xinhua