Burkina Faso: the government rehabilitates the hats of Saponé

Text by: RFI Follow

In Burkina Faso, the government is continuing to protect handicrafts. After the fasodanfani, the traditional loincloth, it's the turn of the famous Saponé hat. Made with straw, this craft object has been the pride of the inhabitants of the municipality of Saponé (about 30 km south of the capital) for centuries. From now on, a logo will be affixed on all the hats produced in Saponé, which would limit the counterfeits of this straw hat, conical in shape and decorated with leather.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Ouagadougou, Yaya Boudani

Bernard Ouedraogo has been making hats in Saponé for several years. Its clients come from inside and outside the country. In order to allow Bernard and his fellow craftsmen to make a full living from their production, the government has decided to reorganize this sector: establishment of specifications, protection of the hat against counterfeiting and fraud ... The labeling process of this symbol of burkinabè cultural identity has just started.

"  We will, with the cooperative, make sure that all the products that come out of here are therefore labeled so that this product will gain more added value internationally and people will realize where comes the hat, by which it was made,  "said Harouna Kaboré, Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts.

In Saponé, the town where these straw hats are produced, the artisans welcome this process and hope to benefit from it.

“  As it is also a knowledge that is transmitted from father to son, there are at least hundreds of families who live on the hat of Saponé and that even allows to educate students. This allows, in any case, also to heat the pots, at times, every evening,  "says Serge Zongo, secretary general of the hat makers' cooperative.

With the new logo, the Saponé hat will now be identifiable and recognizable on the national and international market, which, according to the Minister of Commerce, would limit the risks of confusion.

THE SAPONE HAT: SINCE THE 13th CENTURY! Like FASO DAFANI (loincloth woven from Faso with yarn made in ...

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Burkina Faso