Nigeria's in-vogue handwoven fabric makers resist automation

Waliu Fransisco separates tangled threads used
for aso-oke, a handwoven fabric indigenous to the
Yoruba ethnic group, at Oke Oja workshop in Iseyin on March 17.
 | AFP-JIJI

Iseyin, Nigeria – In Iseyin, a sleepy town in southwestern Nigeria, shaded spaces under trees, makeshift sheds and narrow alleys double as production hubs for aso-oke, a handwoven fabric indigenous to the Yoruba ethnic group.

Demand for the fabric has recently soared at home and abroad, boosted by Nigerians in the diaspora and the rising global popularity of the country's fashion and music culture.

Yet the artisans making it are resisting mechanization, insisting that handweaving is what makes it unique.

By Tonye Bakare

Full story at Japan Times