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Arts and Crafts Training
As part
of this ‘Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund’
project focusing on Tiwai and its host communities, arts
and crafts training has been ongoing over the last year.
The purpose of the training is to upskill members of the
surrounding community in order to promote alternative livelihood
opportunities, thus reducing the pressure of poaching, slash
and burn agriculture and mining on this unique island ecosystem.
The Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA), coordinating
the project, aims to involve the trainees in improving the
facilities on Tiwai with their newfound skills. Since the
training started, the visitor’s centre has already
seen improvements, such as new woven raffia mats across
the ceiling and new bamboo furniture.
In
September 2009, a group of thirty two participants from
the eight communities came to Tiwai for the first arts
and crafts training course. Mr. and Mrs. Lumpkin of Amistad
Development Association Skills Training, were the tutors
for this course. They are skilled professionals in a range
of traditional arts and crafts including gara tie-dying,
soapmaking, textile weaving, bamboo furniture making,
bamboo cup making and mat weaving. This initial training
course was successful and led to a second training period
starting in March of 2010.
The
trainees chose their preferred crafts and concentrated
their time and energy on learning those crafts. Mustafa,
one of the trainees, was a farmer before he started the
course. He used to engage in slash and burn agriculture
but he was grateful for this opportunity to learn a new
skill. He specialized in making bamboo furniture and now
enjoys the fact that he can create something with his
hands. According to him he is “happy to share this
knowledge with his community” so in this way EFA
hopes that valuable skills will be transferred to other
community members.
Overall,
the courses proved successful and participants gained
valuable skills that it is hoped will help them to diversify
their incomes. EFA was delighted to see the colorful and
creative results of these trainings. A selection of arts
and crafts items are now available for sale on the island
and the aim is to extend the sale of arts and crafts into
the host communities. Some of the trainees are now producing
some of these items for sale in their villages - for example
some are already making baskets, doing needle work and
soap making in their home communities.
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