SIAO entry, 29 October 2024, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Credit: Jocelyne Vokouma (2024)
HAB Programme Dynamics
What I call HAB programme dynamics here, is the way this program connects regions with each other and mobilises members around the topic of indigo. As an example of this, I recently reunited with indigo practitioner Idrissa Dembele in Burkina Faso during my visit of the International Handcraft Salon of Ouagadougou (SIAO).
Meeting between HAB members in Burkina Faso
This event took place from 25th October to 3rd November 2024 and was Idrissa’s third time participating. We met in Ouagadougou at his stand (No. 22), where he came to share his exhibitions related to handcraft products in the field of textiles. Connecting with him here would not have been possible without the HAB programme and network, and is a testament to its strength and capacity to clean borders. Idrissa comes from Mali and I’m living in Burkina Faso. We met for the first time in Ghana in February 2024, invited by HAB to participate in a master class in Daboya (Ghana) and a workshop in Shai Hills to learn how to dye bogolan in Mali and indigo in Taiwan. We ended our trip in Legon at the University of Ghana to share what we learned during the fieldwork. The pleasure was mine to meet him here in Burkina Faso after a long time.
An-ka-So (Chez Nous) or Our Home, Idrissa's bogolan fabrics company
Idrissa in front of his booth at SIAO
Myself and Idrissa
A stand with indigo products in Burkina Faso
While walking around the exhibition, I found a stand that contained indigo products, held by local dyers here in Burkina Faso. They also sell their products in Togo.
Some products of Ghana arts in Burkina Faso
I also visited two stands of Ghana handcraft. The first stall was held by a woman while the second was by a man.
Women-Run Stand
Male-Run Stand
It was so wonderful to visit Malian and Ghanaian stands in Burkina Faso at SIAO. My interest for indigo and weaving started 33 years ago, when I was still student at University Joseph Ki-ZERBO here in Ouagadougou. I’m so proud to be part of the HAB network, of which I would not be able to forge these new cross-cultural connections and perspectives around the topic of indigo, which also extend beyond relationships within Africa. In Taiwan for example, we visit indigo fields, but in Burkina Faso, this plant is not cultivated. Farmers cultivate cotton, but not indigo. We don’t have the same kind of tree.
