…With Their Inferior ADIRE CHINA Fabric
•As City People visit ADIRE MALL
There is a big war going on right now among the Adire Merchants in Abeokuta, Ogun State over the invasion of their business by the Chinese, who copy their local designs and take abroad to reproduce and then bring them back as finished products for the women to sell.
City People has discovered that this invasion is fast killing the local Adire market. And many of the Adire producers have vowed to battle this incursion by the Chinese.
Last week, City People visited the Adire Mall at the Kampala Market on Sodeke Street at Kemta, Itoku area of Abeokuta where we spoke to many Adire Marketers on how they feel about this incursion of Adire China which has been on sale for years.
Many don’t know that Abeokuta is home to Adire. And for centuries they have produced a wide range of Adire Fabrics like Adire Eleko & Candle Design, Kampala Batik, different kinds of Adire Kampala such as Eleko, Alabere, Tie & Dye to mention a few.
City People met with Alhaja S. A. Akamo, Iyaloja Kemta Adire at the Kampala Market, at the Adire Mall in Abeokuta. She is an Adire producer and dealer in all kinds of Batik, Tie & Dye, Top Gown, Dry Lace with Kampala etc.
“We are not in support of Adire China”, she told City People, matter of factly. “They have come to kill our local adire. Adire ni Ogo Itoku. The Chinese come here and copy our designs and go and produce it abroad. What they produce is inferior to what we produce locally. This Adire China is fading away. We won’t accept it. Those who have collaborated with them are not Omo Aladire. If your grandmother and mother were into the production of Adire for centuries, you won’t open your eyes and watch these Chinese pollute our business with inferior Adire that they called Adire China. Adire Ni Ogo Itoku”, she explained. Those collaborating with the Chinese to sell Adire China are not Omo Aladire. They just came to make money. They are traders who are not concerned about the future of the business. I will not sit here and allow some Chinese to come here and destroyed the Adire business we inherited from our grandmothers and mothers. They can’t come and spoil the business. Ajogun ba ni. I have never done anything else in my life, other than to sell Adire. I was born into it. I have lived all my life producing and selling Adire. I won’t support any Adire China. That is why I don’t have it in my shop. We are not going to allow this Chinese kill the Adire business.”
“We are already working on stopping them. We have spoken to Gov. Dapo Abiodun and the Alake of Egbaland. We have spoken to the Governor’s wife. We have told them to help us stop these Chinese people. They should not buy Adire China from them. They want to spoil the Adire business, and some of our traders have embraced them because of the little gains they will make.”
“The Chinese people have been trying to convince us to change to Technology. They want us to embrace use of machines. We have said a big No to them. We don’t want to do it with a Machine. Adire is tie and dye. Not produced with a machine. I met Adire business with my grandmum Jojolola. She died in 1932. She is the 2nd Iyalode after Madam Tinubu. I grew up with Adire making, Alaro dudu, Indigo Adire. Those are the real Adire.”
“That is what we know how to do. We have told Gov. Dapo Abiodun that we don’t want Adire China. There is no profit on it. The Adire China is of inferior quality. It tears and fades easily. It is like paper. It cuts easily.
You can change manufacturing of Adire to using machines. Adire in Yoruba means, Aso ti a di, ti a re, ti a re ni dudu or pupa. We tie and die it. I am the grand daughter of the 2nd Iyalode Egba, Madam Jojolola who brought Adire into Egba.”
“I was born into it like I explained to you. We have made good money from this business. Her glory must not die. We are working on how to stop these Chinese people. Many don’t know the Adire China fabric is not good for the body.”
“It is always hot on the body. Many people don’t know the difference.”
“We have pleaded with the Ogun State government not to encourage their staff to make use of it at state functions and event”.
City People also spoke to Adejoke Ewade, who is also championing the Stop Adire China campaign. She is also an Omo Iya Adire. She comes from the Adire lineage. She is an Advocate of Arts & Culture. She has set up Gbagede Ewa Ede for the Yoruba Culture Revitalisation & Development Centre. She is into Artwork, Adire, Aso-Oke, Adinagbon (Coconut Oil), Oyin Igan (Honey), Ose Dudu (Black Soap), Oori (Shea Butter), Agbo (Herbs), Ileke (Beads) and Ilu (Talking Drums).
She revealed how unhappy she is that the Chinese are trying to destroy our Culture & Heritage. She added that she has declared a war on all those associated with the manufacturing, sale and distribution of Adire China in Abeokuta. Chief Ogunfidodo Michael, the Babalaje Kemta, Adire Market also supported her. “We are all opposed to Adire China:, he explained.
“I don’t like it when people call it Adire.”
“It is not Adire. Adire means aso ti a di, ti a re. Adire China is Ayederu, synthetic clothes. It is not good, especially in Africa with the harsh weather. The cloth might look good on face value, but we can tell you, it’s not good. Adire is Kampala. Kampala is Adire. Adire China is always shining. If you goggle the harmful effect of synthetic clothes in Africa, you will see it there. The Adire China is not good for your skin. It is spoiling the economy of Egbaland, Ogun State and Nigeria. It has health hazards. We are working with the government to stop those involved in the business”.
City People also spoke to Dayo Nurudeen Durojaiye, an Adire producer. He is the CEO Gbayilafrika Couture. He was also born into the Adire business. He says it is important for all the practitioners to come together to protect the agelong Adire business that he was born into. He said that is the business his parents did. He added that he and his siblings have also been into it for decades.
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