Handicraft ‘journalism’

- The story of a chief’s wife

She trained as a media practitioner at the Ghana Institute of Journalism and never wanted to become a ‘handcrafter’. Yet, her fortuitous contact with the sector ushered her into a lifetime job. Ama Amankwah Baafi reports


Fiasi African Arts and Craft Home is located at Hohoe in the Volta Region that deals in batik, tie and dye fabrics and garments. The outfit also trains others.

An initiative of Madam Eunice Agbo, who originally resided in Tema, she was compelled to join her husband at Hohoe when he was installed a chief.

To support the family. Eunice learnt the trade and went straight into practice by dying old jeans for sale. She later added batik making when she acquired more capital. It was not long before the market picked up, making it appropriate to advertise for apprenticeship. It ws at this point Eunice registered Fiasi African Arts and Craft Home as a non-governmental organisation in 1998.

Madam Agbo told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS that her application for a grant under the self-help project from a donor agency was successful, enabling her to put up a workshop to train apprentices.

However, soon after ainuaguration the enterprise ran into some challenges as most of the apprentices and people in the area only wanted the training for free without paying a token as a fee.

The journalist-turned entrepreneur did not give up but soldiered on and attended an export school organised by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and subsequently registered as a member of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and the GEPA.

Her knowledge and skills acquisition paid off as she was able to open a handicraft shop at Wli Waterfalls in the Hohoe municipality, where she sells all the range of handicraft, including batik, tie and dye, beads, Bolga baskets, artifacts, drums and beauty accessories.

“I am always attracted to arts and crafts so I try to collect other crafts”.

Ms Ago prefers the use of local raw materials, particularly beads to imported ones as patronage for the former had proven encouraging.

Her combination of colours helps her patrons to make easy choices. “I was trained by a Canadian. She used to sit with me and we tried to blend the colours to see which ones will match and that is how I became perfect and make everything always beautiful.”

Production

Fiasi African and Craft Home employs five permanent staff. They buy the fabric from the market to create an original style that are not common.

On a usual production day, Madam Ago and her team design fabrics on a writing board, select colours and choose the right and appropriate stamps.

Although, according to her, the period of production depends on the number of colours chosen, at Fiasi they are able to produce about 12 yards with four hours. She has her own designs of beads as she widely reads books on beads production. “At times, i design to suit customer specification.”

“Sometimes I have something in mind, but it might not be the right season, so I put it off for the right time of the year”.

In production, she uses modern machinery for sewing but produces beads manually.

Accomplishment

Gradually making handicraft has become her path, she has never changed it and she feels lucky that handicraft came to her.

Eunice has trained over 100 people so far and attended so many trade fairs across the West African sub-region and is able to easily recollect fairs in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Dubai as some of the memorable ones that lived up to expectation.

She has no regrets for going into handicraft making since it was paying off and provides the much needed financial security.

“In all, I thank God for bringing me this far. I am not so rich but financially I am doing well. I am able to see my three girls through school. At Wli, I am putting up a four-storey building which will serve as a workshop for training, a store and other purposes”, she said.


GEPA relationship
She appreciates of the fact that the GEPA foots the bills of stands and freight her products to the destination of fairs worldwide. Likewise, the Ministry of Trade and Industry freight goods sometimes, while the AGI helps to acquire management and entrepreneural skills.

Challenges
According to Eunice, exhibitions are meant to showcase what one had to seek out for orders. “Actually what I really need is enough money to buy more raw materials to produce more”.

Apart from fairs, she also tries to send her products to neighbouring countries, especially Nigeria which has a bigger market but then it comes with several challenges. “Even under ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme there are so many barriers. Sometimes my goods delay and I am not able to make a lot of sales”, she added.

She appealed to financial other lending institutions to make lending terms flexible so small enterprises could take advantage.

Future
Fiasi African Arts and Craft Home has a vision to produce its own raw materials; produce beads and afterwards design and sell.

“I envisage employing and training thousands of people to be doing batiks to create jobs for themselves. I also want my daughter to go into labeling and packaging to enhance our products”.

She has plans to go into shea butter processing, stressing that small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana had the potential to contribute to economic growth and so must be given the necessary skill and financial support to be competitive.

To the next generation, particularly for those hoping to follow her footsteps, she encouraged them to give off their best in whatever venture they undertake.

She loves chatting with her children when she is not producing and also takes active part in church activities.

Eunice wants people who patronise her products to feel very special, beautiful and spirited.

No regrets for going into fashion designing - Julia

As a fashion designer she takes her ability to mix and match colours to a whole new level. Ama Amankwah Baafi obtains a designer's view of her hard work.

MS Julia Opare, a fashion designer found her calling at an early age. “My mother was a seamstress so right from childhood I had been artistic,” she said.

Julia has come a long way from an ordinary dressmaker to a fashion designer who sketch designs, select fabrics, creates clothing and footwear.

When GRAPHIC BUSINESS spoke to Julia at her workshop at Banana Inn, a suburb of Accra, she said she completed vocation school in 1995 at Kaneshie in Accra.

Known as TRUWORTH Fashions, her products include gents and ladies African wears and African design slippers.

“For about two years I worked at home before I moved to my current place where I have a workshop and a showroom”. Julia said she designs all kinds of wear.

Getting started as a young fashion designer was not easy, let alone getting market for her products, but through the support of the Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers Association, she was linked with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and began marketing her products through fairs locally and internationally in 2008.

Julia said she often gets job orders after participating in such fairs, especially outside Ghana and is able to meet demand with staff strength of seven. Apart from participating in fairs facilitated by the GEPA, she takes the initiative to go on her own.

She said she works hard on her collection, particularly for fashion exhibitions as she sees it an opportunity to make the most of.

Passion for creativity is the inspiration for Julia’s collection. “You get to see what was in your mind, and then in your drawing, and then in your pattern, as a finished product.”

Julia looks forward to get funding to expand her work even beyond the borders of Ghana. “Money is the most important because if I have money I can acquire the materials I need and I can work well”.

She could also purchase modern and more machinery to work and employ 15 additional staff.

When asked whether anything about her journey so far has surprised her, she said, “I get surprised about how many people pay attention and recognise my products. Getting calls for orders from people who admire my work and want to collaborate is satisfying”.

She said clients of TRUWORTH Fashions get unique products; excellent finishing, promptness and on time delivery.

So what advice would Julia give to younger ones who want to start a fashion design career? “Starting a fashion career is not a fast-paced thing, but if you love it, stay with it. You must be creative and you should also stay true to your vision”.

However, Julia feels strongly that most young people of today are not interested in learning such vocations such as fashion designing because it is not fast-paced. “I have tried several times to get people to train for free but they have not been cooperative”.

The 38 year old mother of three said she has never regretted going into fashion designing because it is lucrative. “I began fashion designing with my twin sister but she stopped along the lines and now she tells me she has regretted and wish she could turn back the hand of time. I can say I am able to immensely support my husband financially. Everything I have now I got it from my work”.

She was full of praise for her husband who she said has been very supportive, especially taking care of the children when she is away on a business trip.

Though grateful for the support from the GEPA and the Ministry of Trade and Industry so far, she appealed more from them and other stakeholders in the creative industry to come on board so people like her in the industry can make it.

“Made in Ghana goods are held in high esteem outside Ghana so if it is promoted it will contribute to economic development”.