Khadija Bakari – From Palm Frond to Product

Khadija Bakari weaving a basket. Image credit: Emmanuel Jambo

On the Lamu Archipelago, weaving is a craft that dates as far back as the first inhabitants of the region. Lamu locals have, for years, used palm fronds to make floor mats, baskets, and bags. Traditionally used as staple household items, these products are now both functional and decorative pieces used to liven up spaces. The craft has been passed down through generations and continues to be practiced by occupants of the islands.

As a young girl Khadija Bakari watched her mother and other female relatives make woven items for sale. Their earnings from this trade ensured their families were provided for. Little Khadija saw the impact of the women’s work: the stability that came with hard work, and she too wanted this path for herself.

When she was eight years old she started madrasa where she learned to read the Quran and was introduced to teachings of Islam. Additionally, the classes included information about Lamu culture and the art of weaving. Khadija’s interest in weaving grew and soon she was showing off her newest creations to her mother who in turn praised her efforts and urged her on.

In 1988, Khadija sat for her first national exam at Matondoni Primary School. She hoped to continue to high school but at the time education for girls was not considered a worthy investment. What was expected to follow was an arranged marriage but Khadija wasn’t going to sit idly as the inevitable approached. Instead, she joined a women’s weaving group to weave and sell her crafts.

Joining this group was very beneficial in every meaning of the sense. While she had been oriented into the crafting, she was still an amateur. But this didn’t stop her from wanting to learn, and with instruction and encouragement from her colleagues, Khadija’s technique and pace began to improve.

Soon, she grew fond of the routine that went into the work. Every few days, the weavers made a trip out to the bush to harvest palm fronds. The fronds were taken to their workshop where they were set outside to dry. Once the colour changed from a lively green to a muted brown, the uppermost layer of the dried leaves was scrapped off using a knife to make it more malleable and sized down into strips. After this, the weaving began.

She worked with these weavers for almost two decades before she decided she was ready for a new chapter.

It took a lot of self-confidence, which was credited to her patience in the learning period, for Khadija to venture out on her own as a master-crafter. What she wanted more than anything was to extend the same kindness that she had received during her own apprenticeship. In 2006, Khadija formed a community group in her village of Matondoni that would teach women the art of weaving. Since then Khadija has trained other women based in Matondoni who later proceed to start small weaving businesses.

At present, Khadija has 20 women under her guidance who all create beautiful items sold on EcoSoko under Halal Safaris. And even amidst the current pandemic, her will to keep going remains firm.

From us at Paukwa we appreciate the hummingbird spirit that has lived in Khadija since she was a little girl.

#KeCrafters