Bracelets on display at an outdoor store in Nairobi, Kenya.

Technology & Creativity to Empowerment African Women

Looking at the incredible range of material culture produced by African women, it is possible to see the breadth of knowledge and skills that women possess and which are hardly ever appreciated. It is often said that African women for centuries have had the technological skills to brew and distill alcohol; spin dye, and weave mats, baskets, fabric; prepare, form and fire clay products; develop the pestle and mortar and grinding stones for the production of flour; do sophisticated cookery and food preservation.

Whereas craft activities practiced by men are frequently highlighted and used in the informal industrial sector for men’s economic empowerment, women’s craft activities are often relegated to the background, though in some communities, such as the Kamba of Kenya, basketry has helped rural women earn a living.

Elsewhere in the world, it was traditional crafts like textiles and pottery that acted as springboards for the industrial revolution. The precision and sense of details and creativity can be easily transferred to the technological world. African women are a rich cultural reservoir of geometry, calculation, and skills acquired at an early age through the practice of crafts. These need to be harnessed and highlighted and promoted in the pursuit of industrialization across Africa.

Adapted from: Culture, Performance & Identity. Kimani. Njogu (Ed)