How Ondo is resuscitating the dying art of cloth-weaving

AS part of efforts to create awareness towards reducing the toil of pollution on the environment, as well as the overall reduction of global warming, the World Environment Day (WED) Eco Fashion Week has inaugurated indigenous cloth-weaving training for students across Nigeria to resuscitate the dying culture of environmentally-friendly woven cloth art.

Recently, the World Environment Day (WED) Eco Fashion Week held in Ondo State, under the chairmanship of the state governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and the event attracted several dignitaries, traditional rulers, artists and business people, who converged to commemorate both environment and culture at the Osse River Park in Idoani.

Governor Akeredolu, in his remarks on the occasion, commended the Founder of the World Environment Day (WED) Eco Fashion Week, Ms Olapeju Olayemi, for her initiative in reviving the indigenous ecological method aso oke weaving, which is gradually going into extinction in Nigeria.

Speaking through his wife and first lady of the state, Mrs Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, the governor announced government’s readiness to synergise and collaborate with WED Eco Fashion Week Training School to provide students from the state a stable future through the creation of more weaving centres, as well as provision of looms and other weaving materials for schools.

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The governor said: “The hand-woven aso oke is a more traditional and environmentally-friendly practices of textile production, and it cuts down on the use of energy and the process has no emission of carbon waste into the atmosphere, thus reducing global warming.

“Aso oke weaving can also be one of the viable tools in addressing the developmental challenges of the state, especially in creating employment for youths and women,” he said.

The governor, therefore, advised students to use their cloth-weaving skills and the looms donated to them by the state government for self sustainability and entrepreneurship purposes.

In her remarks on the occasion, the founder of WED Eco Fashion Week and Ondo State Goodwill Ambassador for Environment, Ms Olayemi, said that she initiated the training to be part of the eco fashion week events so as to support the Agenda 2030 and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“We need to take immediate action to embark on woven cloth art as it would reduce greenhouse gas emission and enable us to build a healthier environment, spur economic innovation and create job opportunities,” she said.

Ms Olayemi also explained that the sensitisation programmes and effective training on green initiatives would help to promote sustainable environment, just as the organisation has other training programmes on local dyes and colouring methodology development.

While also speaking, The Alani of Idoani, Oba Olufemi Olutoye, who led the delegates of traditional rulers to the event, said that the reviving of the indigenous hand-weave aso oke would promote the rich cultural heritage of the state and the country as a whole.

Oba Olutoye praised the students for the creativity made from their aso oke weaving skills, which was displayed during the event.