Weaving

It is men who usually do the weaving in Africa. Women can gather cotton, brush out seeds and debris from the fibers, spin thread, but they will take the spools of thread to the male weaver. He will attach the thick porous warp to the frame and begin to skillfully throw the shuttle form one hand to the other, and the strong woof will follow it. A day at work, and a long narrow strip of fabric is ready. The Maninka people call it daliba, and they say: “Wash your daliba, and it will be rough, don’t wash it, and it will still be rough.” Later on, a tailor cuts the strip into pieces and sews them into a sheet.

Horizontal looms on which only a thin strip of fabric can be made are widespread throughout West Africa. But in Nigeria people also use vertical looms, on which a wide piece of linen can be made. Such looms are sometimes used by women and are spread in East Africa.

However, not all of Africa weaves cotton thread. Closer to the sea, where frequent rainfalls won’t let cotton mature, the thread is made out of raffia palm fiber, pulled from palm leaves. Also, there are places where they haven’t learned weaving: in the jungles of Central Africa they are not familiar with the loom and they make do with plaiting.

Weaving is an honorable occupation, nobody is ashamed of it. Only the Fulbe nomads and the Wolof in Senegal shun it. Their weavers are the griot bards. And griots are considered a lower caste.

Weaver. Mali. The Bamana. V. F. Vydrin. 1998.		Weaver is sewing together woven bands into a cloth. Santa, Vydrin V., 2002.		In a traditional loom, a bike parts can be used too. Tuba, 2004 E. den Otter