The makers preserving everyday craft traditions

In a small workshop in Abomey, a craftsman cuts a lion from yellow fabric. His apprentice cuts a shark from blue. Another cuts a buffalo, a bird, a sword. One by one, the shapes are sewn onto a black cloth. By the end of the week, the cloth tells a story: the history of the kings of Dahomey, each represented by a symbol.

This craft — Abomey appliqué — has been passed down for generations. It began as royal art, recording the deeds of kings. Today, it's sold to visitors, used in decoration and fashion, and shown in museums. But behind every tapestry are makers keeping a tradition alive.

Across Africa, millions of artisans preserve craft traditions: weaving, pottery, basketry, blacksmithing, carving, beadwork, dyeing, leatherwork. Their work is beautiful, useful and deeply meaningful.

Who are the makers preserving Africa's craft traditions — and why do their skills matter for the future?

Why craft traditions matter

Craft traditions:

• Carry history and meaning in symbols, patterns and techniques.
• Provide income for millions of people, especially women and rural artisans.
• Use local, often sustainable materials.
• Create identity and pride.
• Inspire designers, artists and fashion brands.

UNESCO recognises "traditional craftsmanship" as a form of intangible cultural heritage under its 2003 Convention. Several African crafts have been inscribed on UNESCO's lists of intangible heritage.

Handicrafts are a major source of income in many developing countries, with women making up a large share of artisans. (UNCTAD; UNESCO) Supporting artisans supports families, culture and local economies.

Abomey appliqué (Benin)

Abomey appliqué developed at the royal court of the Kingdom of Dahomey. Each king had symbols — for example:

• King Ghézo: the buffalo.
• King Glèlè: the lion.
• King Béhanzin: the shark (and an egg).

Appliqué cloths decorated royal ceremonies, umbrellas and banners, and recorded royal history. Families of artisans, such as the Yemadje family, have long been associated with this craft in Abomey.

Today, artisans in Abomey continue to make appliqué — for tourists, collectors, interior decoration and fashion. Some young designers are adapting the symbols into modern clothing, bags and prints. See A closer look at design made in Benin.

Kente (Ghana)

Kente is a woven cloth from Ghana, associated with the Ashanti (Asante) and Ewe peoples. It's woven in narrow strips on looms, then sewn together. Each pattern and colour has a name and meaning — for wisdom, royalty, wealth, spirituality and more.

Villages like Bonwire, near Kumasi, are famous for kente weaving. Kente is worn at important occasions: weddings, graduations, festivals. It has also become a global symbol of African pride.

Joke break: A tourist asked a kente weaver how long it takes to make a full cloth. He said, "Weeks." She asked, "Can you make it faster?" He replied, "Yes, but then it becomes a T-shirt." Some things are worth the wait.

Bogolan (Mali)

Bogolan, or mud cloth, is a traditional cloth from Mali, especially among the Bamana people. Cotton cloth is dyed with plant-based solutions and painted with fermented mud, creating bold patterns in brown, black and white. Traditionally, women made bogolan, and the patterns carry meanings linked to history and events.

Bogolan patterns now appear in global fashion and interior design. This raises an important question: are the original makers benefiting? (More on that below.)

Pottery, baskets and more

Across Africa, other crafts carry deep traditions:

• Pottery: Women potters in many regions shape clay by hand (without a wheel) and fire it in open fires. Pots are used for cooking, storing water and rituals.
• Basketry: Rwandan "agaseke" baskets, Ghanaian Bolga baskets and many others are woven from grasses and fibres with complex patterns.
• Blacksmithing and bronze casting: from farm tools to famous sculptures like the Benin Bronzes (from the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria).
• Wood carving: masks, stools, doors and statues.
• Beadwork: Maasai, Zulu and Yoruba beadwork, each with symbolic colours.
• Indigo dyeing: from Nigeria's adire to Mali and Guinea's indigo cloths.

The challenges artisans face

Craft traditions are under pressure:

• Cheap imports: machine-made copies (including printed "kente" and "bogolan" fabrics made abroad) sell at lower prices.
• Young people leaving: many prefer jobs in cities or tech.
• Low prices: middlemen and tourists bargain hard; artisans earn little.
• Access to markets: rural artisans struggle to reach buyers.
• Raw materials: some natural materials become scarce.
• Cultural appropriation: global brands use traditional designs without credit or payment.

How makers are keeping traditions alive

Many artisans train apprentices, often family members. Some workshops now welcome young people from outside the family. See How young Africans learn from older makers.

• Teaching the next generation

Artisans work together to share tools, buy materials, reach markets and negotiate better prices. See How to build a business with your community.

• Cooperatives

Designers work with artisans to create products for modern markets — clothing, home décor, accessories — while respecting traditional techniques.

• Collaborations with designers

Social media and online shops let artisans sell directly to customers in cities and abroad.

• Online sales

Fair trade organisations help artisans get fair prices and better working conditions.

• Fair trade and certification

Exhibitions and craft fairs raise visibility and pride. See How a local exhibition reaches a new audience.

• Museums and festivals

"Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit." — Jawaharlal Nehru

Respect, not appropriation

When designers or brands use traditional crafts, respect matters:

• Credit the origin and the community.
• Collaborate with artisans rather than copying.
• Pay fairly.
• Understand the meaning of symbols before using them (some are sacred).
• Share benefits with communities.

Some countries and organisations are exploring legal protections, such as geographical indications or collective trademarks for traditional crafts.

How you can support craft traditions

• Buy handmade products directly from artisans or cooperatives.
• Ask where products come from and who made them.
• Pay fair prices. Understand the hours behind each piece. See The hidden work behind an African made product.
• Visit workshops when travelling.
• Share artisans' work on social media, with credit.
• Encourage young people to learn a craft.

An illustrative visit to Abomey

Imagine a school trip to an appliqué workshop in Abomey (illustrative). Students watch an artisan cut shapes without drawing them first — from memory. He explains each king's symbol and the proverb behind it. Each student cuts a small symbol and sews it onto a piece of cloth.

Back at school, they make a class tapestry telling the story of their own school: a book for learning, a ball for sport, a tree for growth. They've learned history, art, maths (shapes and symmetry) and respect for skilled work — all in one project.

A day in an artisan's life (illustrative)

Meet an illustrative potter in the Zou department of Benin we'll call Mama Houénou (illustrative). She's 58 and learned pottery from her mother.

At dawn, she and her daughter dig clay near the river and carry it home in basins. They mix it with water and crushed old pottery to make it strong. Mama Houénou shapes pots by hand, turning them slowly on a small base. Some are for cooking, some for storing water, some decorated for ceremonies.

After drying for several days, the pots are fired in an open fire of wood and straw. Some crack — that's part of the craft. The rest go to the market, where she sells them for a few thousand francs each.

Her daughter wants to continue, but only if she can earn more. So she has started taking photos of her mother's pots and posting them on WhatsApp and Instagram. A hotel in Cotonou recently ordered twenty decorated pots for its restaurant. Tradition and technology, side by side.

Crafts and climate: a sustainable advantage

Many traditional crafts use natural, local and renewable materials: clay, plant fibres, cotton, natural dyes, recycled glass and metal. Compared with mass-produced plastic goods shipped across the world, handmade local products often have a smaller environmental footprint.

As consumers worldwide look for sustainable products, African craft traditions have an opportunity: they were "eco-friendly" long before the word existed. Telling that story well can help artisans reach new markets. See The ideas helping African cities reduce waste.

Crafts are not the past — they're a living future

Craft traditions aren't museum pieces. They're alive — in workshops, markets, homes and fashion shows. They adapt, borrow and innovate, just as they always have.

The makers preserving them aren't stuck in the past. They're carrying the past into the future — one stitch, weave, pot and pattern at a time.

Keep reading: The artists telling stories of today's Benin, African makers who teach what they know, and our Art & Culture section.

Questions

What is Abomey appliqué?

A traditional Beninese craft where coloured fabric shapes are sewn onto cloth, originally to record the history and symbols of Dahomey's kings.

What is the meaning of kente cloth?

Kente is a Ghanaian woven cloth where colours and patterns have specific names and meanings, often linked to values, history and status.

How can I support African artisans?

Buy directly from artisans or cooperatives, pay fair prices, credit their work and share their stories.