It has certainly been an interesting month here in Mikindani, and also
\n in Dar es Salaam. One of Trade Aid’s new ideas for Mikindani is
\n to start up a local group who can produce Batik T-shirts. But what is
\n this I hear you ask. Batik T-shirt printing is the dying of a T-shirt
\n with certain areas left undyed, this enables you to produce a variety
\n of patterns. <\/p>\n
It was at the beginning of December that the journey up to Dar began,
\n at the oh so sociable hour of four o’clock in the morning. After
\n a back breaking sixteen hours in one of the Trade Aid Landrovers, being
\n bounced and battered along a Tanzanian “road” we finally arrived
\n in Dar Es Salaam, oh what a relief. After a day to settle in, and make
\n extensive use of the bar and air conditioning at the Seaman’s mission
\n [where we were staying] it was down to work. My brief was to look into
\n the process of Batik T-shirt production, and to see if it would be feasible
\n in Mikindani. <\/p>\n
The Batik T-shirt printing takes place in an indoor market\/shopping
\n centre where the products are also sold. There I met the head of the organisation
\n that prints the T-shirts and the head of production, who oversees the
\n entire process. <\/p>\n
The process begins when the parts of the T-shirt that are not to the
\n dyed are covered in a special sort of wax. This can be applied through
\n two methods, either using a brush or a wooden print. As far as Mikindani
\n and the Boma is concerned it is my opinion that the print method would
\n be the best, as it would produce work for the local carpenters. <\/p>\n
Once the wax has been applied and dried the T-shirt is then dyed. A
\n mixture of hot and cold water (17 litres) dye, caustic soda and sodium
\n powder are then mixed together in a stone bath. The T-shirt is then repeatedly
\n lifted in and out of this mixture until the dye has fully soaked into
\n the material. After which it is then taken out of the water and hung to
\n dry. The wax then has to be removed; this is done by placing the T-shirt
\n into a vat of boiling water, where it is then stirred around until all
\n of the wax has been removed. The T-shirt is then finished and can either
\n be worn, or more colours can be applied by using the wax to cover the
\n previous dyed areas and any areas that need to be left clear. This should
\n certainly prove to be something that Trade Aid and the Boma can make good
\n use of, and it should also benefit the local groups who can get involved.\n <\/p>\n