Africa economy
Guinea: Counterfeit Chinese textiles are destabilizing the Guinean artisanal sector
Audio 02:20
A decree prevents the import, production and marketing of Faré Yaré, a counterfeit bazin.
© Getty Images/Aldo Pavan
By: Matthias Raynal Follow
3 mins
Lépi, Kindili or sacred forest, traditional Guinean fabrics are expensive.
However, a few days before the end of Ramadan, the dream of all consumers had finally come true: local textiles were now accessible to as many people as possible.
Except that this fabric was made in China and it may well destabilize the already fragile crafts sector in Guinea.
With him, the cultural heritage of the country is threatened.
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From our correspondent in Conakry,
On April 20, the authorities reacted vigorously.
To stop the invasion, an order is taken prohibiting the import, production and marketing.
A month later, on the Madina market in Conakry, counterfeits, which we call Faré Yaré here, are becoming rarer.
“
You know the Faré Yaré, don't you?
It looks like bazin, and when you take it out, not everyone understands that it's not bazin
,” warns Ms. Sylla.
She still has fake bazin that would not be affected by the order.
The fabric has the glossy look of the real thing.
“
Me, before my market, it was wax.
Now, as people have started to buy that (
Faré Yaré, editor's note
) our wax is not selling
, ”she notes.
Wax was losing the battle against Faré Yaré, Madame Sylla had to adapt.
A fabric accessible to the poor
A little further on, a wholesaler is taken over by buyers.
It is one of the best supplied in Faré Yaré.
Here, you can still find traditional Guinean models.
For example, there is a sacred forest with patterns far too regular to have been dyed by hand.
The craze for Faré Yaré is still going strong, a customer explains why.
“
During the month of Lent, it suited us well, without lying!
It costs less.
Before, we paid 600,000 or 800,000 Guinean francs for bazins.
The Faré Yaré is 40,000 or 60,000 francs
,” he calculates.
It takes 60 euros for a bazin.
The Faré Yaré costs ten times less.
"
Faré Yaré means '
what is in front'
, it makes us proud, because even if we are poor, Faré Yaré makes our beauty
", adds the customer.
A quality that has a price
At the entrance to the market, Aminata Kanté, a bazin seller, is furious.
“The Faré Yaré affair, we are fed up!
People have no money,” she exclaims.
Quality pays off.
Aminata Kanté has a message for those who would be tempted by counterfeiting.
During Ramadan, it started to rain.
They wore their Faré Yaré in the rain and they could see how the fabric rubbed off.
Also, the fabric is warm.
It's not cotton.
Me, I wear bazin since the morning, it's hot, but me, I'm not hot with my bazin.
And even if the Faré Yaré gives Aminata Kanté cold sweats, thanks to her real bazin, not a drop pearls on her skin.
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