Low tech- High skill 3

I pose with Joyce- showing off my first African dress.

Low tech- High skill 2

My dress is ironed.

 

 

 

Low tech - High skill

In every city and town in Ghana, around the market places, alongside the fabric stalls, there are booths with tailors and seamstresses operating sewing machines to make a living creating and decorating garments.
The many thousands involved in this trade are a testimony to the desire to earn a living through gainful employment. The relatively slack level of business observed reflects the general lack of money to spend, with too much supply to meet the demand.
Zebilla is no different.
Here, my first visit to the seamstress has been a success.

 

If a garment is to be made, fabric is chosen and bought in advance, from a market stall or a street seller with piles of cloth balanced on the head.

The choice is varied, the colours and patterns bold. The particular design and print seems to choose you: one bolt of cloth will catch your eye saying “Pick me, pick me.” One yard- yes, measurements are in inches, feet and yards- will make a skirt, two for a short dress and four for a full length dress or pants and matching top.

From here, you go to the seamstress. While there are pictures of popular traditional African and modern designs, with a sketch, descriptions, gesturing and discussion, the final garment can be of your own creation and imagination. Technical skills are impressively high, limited only by a lack of accessories and the capacity of basic hand-powered sewing machines.

I was directed to Joyce, who runs a typical enterprise in the Zebilla market area, employing three young women. I wanted a formal dress, I explained, suitable for work. The style was agreed on. My measurements were taken and chalked onto the wall. I was dismissed and given a return date.

Material is marked with chalk according to a pattern in the cutter’s head, then pieces cut.

 

With minimal pinning, the garment is made up and adjusted as needed when the client comes for the fitting. The process is leisurely and friendly, with plenty of chatter and questions. I returned to Joyce to try on my dress, a few alterations were made, the dress was carefully pressed, the agreed price paid, and I proudly wore my first African dress.

 Joyce sews my dress

It's a small world

 

Working in Ghana, in development, is truly an international experience.

A one day strategy discussion, involving 14 people,  with VSO Ghana programme staff and volunteers working in collaboration across several disciplines  found me sharing ideas and debating with men and women from Ghana, the UK, Canada, the Philippines, Uganda, Kenya and Romania.

Later, stopping at the Tasty Food  café for a snack, I fell into conversation with a volunteer from Estonia, working with a small charity sponsoring individual children into education.

The multilingual abilities of colleagues from other countries continue to shame me, as I struggle to grasp the basics of Kusaal, the African language spoken locally in Zebilla.

 

A  treat to send home: while on a walk one evening, when rain was threatening, a beautiful rainbow peeped within a funnel shaped cloud.

Welcome to Zebilla 5

A short walk from the house. Plots of land are cultivated as subsistence or market garden produce. In the background, the hills of the Burkina Faso border.

Welcome to Zebilla 4

Homes are in clusters, and planning seems to be organic, related to streams and higher ground, with no grid system of streets or lanes. Initially this is confusing as everywhere “looks the same” but within a few days the inner compass takes control and small details become guiding landmarks.

 

Compound and swept yard opposite our house

 

A walk of a few minutes takes me onto the smaller back road of Zebilla, overlooking the town and the distant hills bordering Burkina Faso.

With minimal traffic, only motor bikes and occasional three wheeled vehicles pulling a cart, and all negotiating the dirt road, the pace is slow, passing company plentiful and greetings the universal custom.

As volunteers we are aware we are generously catered for, with a bedroom each, fresh tap water and electricity, an indoor bathroom with a shower (cold) and two fridges in the kitchen. The traditional homes have none of these facilities and large families occupying each compound.

Welcome to Zebilla 3

A view of our house from the pathway. It is currently the rainy season, so the vegetation is lush. Maize grows in the fore ground.