The Ministry of Culture and Sport has recently awarded Firew Konjo from Arba Minch as awardee of the year at the Sheraton Hotel at their 2nd National Recognition and Award ceremony. On receiving this award, Frew said “I will continue to work hard to pass on the weaving skills created by our forefathers to the next generation and Ethiopia will be respected for this art.”
Firew Konjo, noted the decline of the 2000-year-old tradition of textile weaving in the South of Ethiopia. The import of cheap clothing and fabrics had led to less demand and thereby fewer jobs for artisans in the region. He founded a local handicraft enterprise in Arba Minch, with the focus on preservation of the culture of traditional weaving and using locally grown cotton in the region. They produce products the traditional BULOOKO (thick cotton blanket) and GABI (thick cotton shawl) as well as other hand woven cotton towels and home accessories. Since 2014, Jano Handicraft artisans have been able to generate a fair living wage. The Association collaborates with Sabahar and sells textiles for both the local and the global markets. Firew trains local youths to earn an income working within the production chain from hand spun cotton to finishing of the product received from the local weavers, thus not only getting them involved but excited about handloom weaving and carrying on the ancient tradition that this area is renowned for.
Firew has received expert led training in handicraft product development. Among other personal awards and recognition, he has received an Entrepreneurship certificate from the UNDP and in 2018, he won the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Firew continues pursuing his passion for community work with a particular focus on developing women’s entrepreneurship through training. He preserves the culture of traditional weaving and protects natural forests through his social enterprise with the goal to grow and supply more products for export as well as creating employment for more local people in the region. The men are the traditional weavers and the “looms” are made from Bamboo and Eucalyptus which are sourced from the Gamo highlands of Southern Ethiopia.
Jano Handicraft is the socially responsible Ethiopian Social Enterprise producing hand woven textile products from locally sourced raw cotton but he also has a new brand Shimena Weaving (website:www.shimena.net) also preserving the culture of weaving from hand spun cotton and producing and selling beautiful garments to new markets. “Shimena” is the Amharic word for weaving. The slogan “weaving friendships” describes how the company connects artisans, workers, partners and customers.
- +251-916-854218
- info@shimena.net
