Somalian weavers are under threat from excessive imports, which may even wipe out their traditional skills, forcing people to migrate to other vocations. Somalia is known for the variety of its traditional apparel products, which are colourful and preferred by the local population living mostly in villages. The villain of the piece is excessive and cheap imports from countries like China, which have outbid the local production. Once a lucrative business and livelihood of many, is threatening to collapse mostly on account for government apathy to inject much needed support and dynamism to this vital sector, which is the source of livelihood to many.
There are instances of people who have been closely involved with the sector over 40 years, earning only less than US$2 per day. Unable to fend for themselves and their families, many of them are leaving the trade and youngsters are refusing to take up the trade and are moving towards the towns and cities, choking the already overcrowded civic life. Artisans claim that the cloth they make and fabrics they weave are much better than the one imported, which are mill made, whereas their products are handwoven, having superior aesthetic value.
A USAID study has revealed that , the second-hand clothes industry keeps more than 350,000 people unemployed in East Africa. Local organizations and artisans’ cooperatives are doing their best to market their products, where a lot of hard work are going into. So far, they have not succeeded in that effort. The future of this segment, which can hark back the legacy dating back millenniums is in crisis.
Indeed, there are enlightened people from the rich strata of the society, who are buying products from the local artisans with a view to support them. But that is proving a drop in the ocean. The government has also tried to give a measure of support to the local artisans by increasing the import duty on the fabric. But such moves have attracted severe resistance from the developed world, including the US citing that such measures are trade distortionary.
