Main Page


Botswana
Chad
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Mali
Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Togo

Botswana

Odi Village, June 1995: Skeins of brightly colored wool dry in the yard of the Odi Weavers' workshop. The wool itself is imported from South Africa; for Botswana, a hot, desert country, is not suited for raising sheep. Once the raw wool arrives, the weavers wash, dye and then spin it into loops using hand cranked, wooden spinners. Photo by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Susan Ross.

Odi Village, June 1995: Skeins of brightly colored wool dry in the yard of the Odi Weavers' workshop. The wool itself is imported from South Africa; for Botswana, a hot, desert country, is not suited for raising sheep. Once the raw wool arrives, the weavers wash, dye and then spin it into loops using hand cranked, wooden spinners.

This photograph shows a large basin with running water for the washing of the wool. The buildings in the foreground are the workshops that house up to a dozen looms. The building in the background is the shop where tourists come to buy these beautiful examples of a Botswana craft. Weaving is an art that is practiced only by women. The sale of the tapestries provides needed income to their families. Photo by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Susan Ross.