Burkina Faso: the Saponé hat certified as a protected geographical indication
Hat of Saponé in Burkina Faso.
RFI/Sayouba Traoré
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The hat of Saponé, a town southwest of the capital Ouagadougou, now easily identifiable and recognizable by a standard logo, is recognized on the national and international market.
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With our correspondent in Ougadougou,
Yaya Boudani
Produced by craftsmen in the town of Saponé with raffia sudanica, the hat is now protected by a certificate.
This puts an end to its labeling process.
According to Naaba Sigri, chief of the canton of Saponé, this hat, which is the pride of an entire country, symbolizes peace.
“
The Saponé hat
has found its value that our ancestors bequeathed to us.
It symbolizes forgiveness, peace, tolerance, friendship and social cohesion.
This certificate takes us from the 13th century to today and is the pride of Burkina and of all the craftsmen of Saponé
,” he explains.
Nearly 500 people work in the production of the hats.
With this certification and its international recognition, the inhabitants of the town of Saponé will be able to live from their art, says Abdoulaye Tall, Minister of Industrial Development, Trade, Crafts and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
“
Our artists suffer enormously from counterfeits and illegal copies of their works.
With this certification, we have a legal instrument which makes it possible to protect and eventually prosecute all those who indulge in copying
”.
After the delivery of the certificate of registration of the hat of Saponé in protected geographical indication, the craftsmen were sensitized on the installation of an effective control system.
Today, it is a feeling of joy that animates all of Burkina and particularly the craftsmen involved in the production of the Saponé hat.
Serge Zongo, general secretary of the Saponé hat producers' cooperative
Guillaume Thibault
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