Women weave Ndop design with raffia fibers at a shop in Bafoussam and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu) March 8 (Xinhua) -- In an unassuming building in Bafoussam Therese Yommo carefully decorates a fabric with patterns The 64-year-old is a specialist in the fabrication of Ndop a remarkable Cameroonian cloth that embodies fashion Yommo didn't think she would amount to much She traditionally spent her days doing household chores - collecting water from the borehole But that changed when her mother taught her how to embroider Ndop fabric (But today) I take care of my children and grandchildren and send them to school I also take care of myself (thanks to Ndop)," said the widower and mother of six Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women The traditional textile is helping to tackle poverty and empower women in the garment manufacturing industry by creating an ecosystem of hundreds of self-employed female micro-entrepreneurs Yommo said she's already trained over 40 women in the business and fabrication of Ndop fabric When Xinhua visited Yommo's shop called Magni Yom's Shopping two women sat demurely with a fabric unrolled on their laps practicing their newly-acquired embroidery skills That's why I was interested (to learn about the profession)," said the 54-year-old mother of three Mebeyi used to run a small cafe business but as she aged she could no longer get up every morning at 4:00 to prepare and sell until the opportunity to learn about Ndop came "I wanted to learn a trade that I can teach my children and grandchildren," she said adding that even after two years of learning she is still a novice because the production process is labor-intensive involving several stages that sometimes run up to six months But such a long period of production is worthwhile given the durability and traditional significance of the fabric said 58-year-old Helen Youte who was practicing with Mebeyi Youte switched from her restaurant business to Ndop fabric I have sent them to school and I take care of my small needs It has changed my life," said the mother of six 48-year-old Philippe Guy Kammogne has made it a point of duty to empower women through Ndop fabric is a respected Ndop producer: he trained all his 94 children on how to embroider Ndop and now his son "We have trained women not to always wait for men to provide daily bread," said Kammogne When Xinhua visited his modest workshop in the Lagweu neighborhood of Baham "If I am the only one providing for my family and if tomorrow I am not there she could make that a profession which can help her take care of herself and children even in my absence," Kammogne said "The future is bright for all women who have the courage to fabricate Ndop," added his wife said Rostanie Djifack who sells the fabric at Marche B in Bafoussam "We can make a lot of things out of Ndop fabric including caps and so on," said the 20-year-old who said selling Ndop fabric has improved her standard of living "At first young people were not interested in the fabric An item of Ndop can cost up to about 150 US dollars depending on the size Ndop has been classified as a Cameroonian national heritage by the Ministry of Arts and Culture A local association called Save Ndop wants the traditional textile to be added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list draws patterns on a fabric to make the traditional Ndop at her workshop in Baham Flore Amedite Kammogne weaves Ndop designs with raffia fibers at her workshop in Baham A woman sells Ndop products at a market place in Bafoussam People visit a shop selling Ndop products at a market place in Bafoussam A trader arranges Ndop products at a market place in Bafoussam A seller arranges necklaces made with Ndop at a market place in Bafoussam Flore Amedite Kammogne removes raffia fibers from the dyed fabric to obtain the traditional Ndop at her workshop in Baham speaks during an interview with Xinhua at her shop in Bafoussam Flore Amedite Kammogne and her husband display a traditional Ndop fabric that she has just made in her workshop in Baham Flore Amedite Kammogne draws patterns on a fabric to make the traditional Ndop at her workshop in Baham An apprentice weaves the designs of Ndop with raffia fibers at a shop in Bafoussam Wambesso Fankam stands out elegantly from the crowd at a funeral ceremony in western Cameroon he is among a select few who are traditionally entitled to wear an eye-catching fabric of vivid indigo with intricate white patterns not everyone can wear it,” he said with pride to the beat of tam-tam drums and the balafon The ceremonial cloth was once the preserve of chiefs dignitaries and members of secret societies in the central African country the culture around it is now being threatened by cheap imitations and crude rip-offs Ndop’s distinctive motifs — often animals or geometric shapes — are drawn on cotton fabric then embroidered with raphia before the material is dyed blue Its richness is down to the many different combinations of symbols that can be designed on the ndop Cameroon is thought to have 13,500 traditional chiefdoms across its 10 regions It is the north and the mountains of the west where chiefs are seen as all but divine guardians of tradition that the ndop culture is the strongest these days chiefs’ powers are limited to inheritance or matrimonial disputes Even so ndop is “the most important ritual element” among the main western tribal group head of the Sauvons le Ndop (Save the Ndop) group Making the cloth is a costly affair that takes several days’ work and requires specialized knowledge Prices for a piece of ndop cloth can go up to 100,000 West African francs (US$160) — a small fortune in Cameroon where one-third of the population lives on less than US$2 a day an ndop cloth is symbolically hung on a wooden fence at the main entrance to the funeral One woman is wearing a long dress entirely in ndop “She is one of the few to wear an ndop outfit because she is a queen,” said Gisele Monkam Ndop mostly features “drawings that symbolize our way of life,” said Arsene Ngandjouong head of a museum in the village of Bangoua in the west of the country One of the principal motifs is “a circle which represents the duality of the Bamileke world a communication between the living and the dead,” Ngandjouong said Sitting near the door of her house made of baked mud bricks in Baham the main town high on the western plateau where ndop is still made is busy on a piece of fabric she has been working on for more than a week with some long pieces measuring up to 15m taking up to a month to complete “I’m adding the finishing touches,” she said The finished item would be white with an indigo tint The Cameroonian Ministry of Arts and Culture declared ndop a part of its official national heritage in February 2020 and some also want it to be given UNESCO status as further protection While it was once strictly reserved for royals and nobles so much so that some of its motifs are now turning up on bottles of beer the loose unisex garment popular across west Africa “It is even becoming a bit vulgar,” Ngandjouong said “In the past when someone who hadn’t the right to wear ndop wore it “The most important thing is that we pass on knowledge of how to make it,” Yongueu said “Before ndop fabric was controlled by the chiefs and the kings made sure that the savoir faire was passed on to the makers’ children few young people are prepared to take that on Others hope that a little of the reflected glory the fabric is picking up abroad might tempt them back with the French luxury fashion house Hermes using ndop motifs in one of its silk scarf collections four years ago Ndop is a traditional fabric from west Cameroon It helps empower local women to improve their lives and support their families is helping tackle poverty and empower women through nurturing an ecosystem for hundreds of self-employed female micro-entrepreneurs March 9 (Xinhua) -- In an unassuming building in Bafoussam changed when her mother taught her how to embroider Ndop fabric I also take care of myself (thanks to Ndop)," said the widow and mother of six A trader arranges Ndop products at a marketplace in Bafoussam she could no longer get up at 4 every morning to prepare and sell until the opportunity to learn about Ndop came A woman sells Ndop products at a marketplace in Bafoussam is a respected Ndop producer: he trained all his 94 children on how to embroider Ndop and now his son Kammogne has trained over 80 women An item of Ndop can cost up to about 150 U.S A local association called Save Ndop wants the traditional textile to be added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.  ■ the traditional attire worn during major events by people of the Western part of Cameroon is now appealling to people outside the country announced that it had launched a collection baptised Ndop because it was inspired by the blue traditional attire adorned with white designs the Fondation Jean-Félicien Gacha holds an important collection of Ndop textiles decorative style is the inspiration for this carré by Anamorphée Produced by the Bamileke people of the Cameroonian savannah Ndop textiles use cotton woven into narrow strips This first stage takes place in the north of the country after which the Bamileke women use raffia thread to apply the designs Let’s note that the 90 cm x 90 cm scarf is sold at €360 (about CFA236,000) Kribi Bitumen Plant Set to Start Construction in 2025 with Government Backing CEMAC Bond Market Hits CFA 8.45 Trillion in March 2025, Interest Rates Drop Cameroon’s Timber Output Projected to Rise in 2025 Despite Higher Export Taxes Central Africa Stock Exchange Sees 98% Drop in Trading Value in Q1 2025 Every week the economy and investment news from Cameroon Mboa Paris Trains 30 Young Cameroonians to Boost Tech and Entrepreneurship Cameroon Audit Targets Former Officials for Mismanagement in Agricultural Project Camwater Seeks Global Bids to Launch Bottled Water Lines in Five Cities Bafoussam Workshop Highlights Benefits of Cameroon-EU Trade Agreement Cameroon Could Reach 350,100 Tons of Cotton in 2025 (Beac) Paul Biya Appoints Johnny Razack as Chair of Cameroon’s National Investment Company Cameroon Refuses Work Visa Renewal for Casino and Super U Boss Over Toxic Workplace Claims Cameroon Joins Global Charter to Fight Illegal Fishing The South and North West crisis in Cameroon locally termed the Anglophone crisis that start in 2016 and escalated as an arm conflict in 2017 till date between government forces and local activist has resulted to massive displacement of families destruction of roads bridges loss of lives etc Has equally resulted to violent and insecurity has increased immensely such that thousands of people in all the divisions and communities of the North West are evacuating and displacing to other communities neighbouring cities and other nations for refuge The effects of this crisis provoked COHEB International to secure a 50 hectares land and is carrying out an humanitarian response project since 2017 in Babungo village Babungo village is among one of the few villages in North West Region that has not been much affected by the crisis and is presently hosting more than a thousand IDPs that have flee from neighbouring communities classified as red zones Babungo is sharing com-mon boundaries with the DANWARA Tea Estate Bamising and Bamali villages in the Ngoketunja Division and remains the only safe hide for those who are not able to run from Boyo Bui and Ngoketunja Division to big cities for safety For the past two years we have been carrying out food security demonstration farm and building infrastructures to host IDPs in the knowledge of both the government and the re-sistant fighter in a peaceful atmosphere Project side in Babungo village is situated six kilometers from Bamunka-Ndop along the ring road from Bamenda leading to Banso this project has an objective to build shelter for about 1000 IDPs develop a 45 hectares humanitarian agro-pastoral plantation for food security to IDPs and host population temporal humanitarian entrepreneurial and vocational training structures and equipment to train IDPs on how to farm and transform agro-pastoral products to fight poverty and reintegrate them in the society in future temporal health facility and orphanage for IDPs and orphans emergency entrepreneurial vocational and humanitarian care and training will highly contribute to respond to the on-going crisis and shall raise emergency professionals entrepreneurs with great skills in development and transformation dynamics in agro-pastoral activities to create their own small enterprises in future and redevelop their communities even after the crisis COHEB International is about 70% ready now to start identifying and welcoming IDPs to the project site With the contribution and support of the humanitarian community provide humanitarian assistance and Health assistance to IDPS and host communities train IDPs with entrepreneurial capacities to fight poverty Find attached below some of our agro-pastoral activities and demonstration farms Ndop — Women farmers in western Cameroon are leading the way in commercial rice production benefiting from new seeds and marketing opportunities that are helping them cope with climate stresses and provide for their families A programme run by the Upper Nun Valley Development Authority (UNVDA) aims to help rice farmers adopt better crop varieties use water more efficiently and adapt to climate change You have selected an article from the AllAfrica archive, which requires a 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