No Map Required

  • The Map
  • Places
    • Argentina
    • Bali
    • Bolivia
    • Chile
    • Costa Rica
    • Ecuador
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • Mexico
    • Mongolia
    • Netherlands
    • Panama
    • Peru
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Tanzania
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
      • Illinois
      • Massachusetts
      • Oregon
      • Washington
    • Zanzibar
  • The Gear
    • What We’re Carrying
    • How’s it working for us?
  • The Money
  • Art & Engineering
  • Dessert
  • About Us

Batik “Factory”

Posted on May 7, 2019 by No Map Required Posted in Art, Art & Engineering, Tanzania .
Share

Our first full day in Tanzania did not disappoint! First we got reacquainted with our friend Sam. We met Sam the last time we were in TZ in 2015. He and his friend Frank, ran after us on a dirt road yelling, “Are you American? Come have a drink with us! I’ll buy you a Coke.” and soon a friendship was born. Nearly four years later, we made contact with Sam again (thank you social media!) and told him to expect us. He has been a wonderful host showing us around Arusha.

Coke is still a part of the equation.

Before arriving, Aaron asked if Sam could set up a chance for us to work with a local artist…you know how we like to do that sort of thing…and Sam promised to take us to the “batik factory.” Honestly, we weren’t sure what to expect. “Factory” has a certain meaning. Hmmm? No telling what was going to happen, but we said “yes”. It’s the magic word that leads to adventure after all!

We walked with Sam along a big highway, then small but busy dirt roads, and then smaller and smaller roads covered in trash with the occasional mangey dog or scrawny chicken. Pretty much what you expect. So where is this “factory”?

Oh look! The factory!
And what we mean, is that tarped area on the right side. Not the tiny little story front.
The factory sign.

We walked in and met John Mweta, the factory owner. He showed us his work and for a split second I thought we were just being asked to buy batiks, but then he came out with a white cloth with some outlines, a big pot of melted wax, and a charcoal-burning stove. Game On.

The stove – no propane here.
Add a big pan of hot wax.
And the lesson begins. First Tito, one of John’s artists, showed us how to paint wax onto the image.
Then John asked, “Do you want to try?” Ummm, of course!
They kept a very close eye on Aaron’s progress.
Veeeeeery close eye.

Meanwhile, we are kind of like the circus that comes to town. You can imagine not many white people (“mzungus”) pass this way. Little kids keep poking around the corner. Old men. Even the occasional goat. At one point a grown man yells “MZUNGU!” and runs away…he comes back with his granny yelling “My Granny! Mzungu! My Granny! Mzungu!”. She seems as uncomforable as we felt. We greeted her with our vast Swahili knowledge, “Jambo!” and that’s all we could do. I waved but I think she was blind. This is how the afternoon was spent on this otherwise quiet corner.

View of the street from the factory.

Next up we were invited onto the “factory floor” to start the dying process.

John’s entire studio. On a regular work day many men work side by side making batiks in bulk.
Next up, it was time to add the first layer of dye – he called it paint, which he diluted with water. Aaron was all over this. Or maybe it was all over him.
The dyes were kept in these old beat-up buckets. One fell and gave each of us a nice red splash to our ankles and my shoes now have the artistic flare they were missing all along.
He takes his work personally.
And just like that, it was my turn to paint some wax. I’m pretty good, and I know because Sam and John stood next to me the whole time saying, “Goood. Gooooood. Verrry gooood.”

Now a moment to talk about tools. Aaron loves tools. Anyone who reads this blog, knows he is a little obsessed. So when John pulled out his homemade canting, it was like Aaron’s personal holiday. You have to admit, it’s pretty cool. This canting is used to draw finer lines and designs on the batik — just like we did in Bali.

The canting – yes, strangely enough, that’s the actual name of the tool. I think it’s also the action of using it.
You can see, John took a part for something else (from a fridge!), cut off the pointy end, afixed a new tip, and the attached it to the handmade handle.

Aaron knew he needed one. So he asked if we could make a canting when we were finished batiking. John couldn’t believe what the mzungu was asking for. He was probably thinking “weirdos” when we asked, but that’s never stopped us. John was unsure about making the tool together (apparently it takes a long time to make one) so he offered to sell Aaron the one we were using. We eagerly agreed.

Can’t wait to put this canting with the one we got in Bali!

Okay, back to the batik factory where John showed us the finishing touches.

By now there is layer after layer after layer of wax on this thing. It’s stiff like a board. John took it and pinched the wax making it crack. Then he added black to make the recognizable batik look.

John then crinkled the waxy cloth so it like a crumpled paper and adding some black paint into the creases. After the black dried, he essentially wrung out the fabric like you would a piece of washing! It was kind of crazy watching as the wax started to chip off until there was a mass of waxy shavings on the table below. If you’re wondering, yes, they do get reused. It’s Africa, everything gets reused. We could all take a note, eh?

John removing the first layer of wax.

All of this takes a while. We were there for hours while a radio played next door. It was football day (soccer) in Tanzania and we heard the local prison sponsored team vs. Simba (aka, the Lions). You’ll be happy to know that the world-famous “Gooooooooooooooooal!” translates perfectly in Swahili and we cheered along with our teachers. Simba ruled the day, but Sam was rooting for the Prisons. Sorry Sam.

Fooootbaaaaaaaall!

The almost-final step is to melt the remaining wax with an old fashioned coal-powered iron.

The iron has coals inside and is heated on the stove. John was very worried my delicate hands couldn’t hold it by the handle but it was fine.
Look at this! There’s a little squirrel or critter on the top and a wonderful wooden handle.
Look at me go!
The final final step is John inking in some bits of detail to really give it a finished look. Together we each signed our names: Anner, Aaron, John & Tito.
Our batik, just waiting for our signatures.

That, my friends, is a most excellent way to spend the day!

John was the nicest, most patient teacher. SUCH a wonderful time – we won’t soon forget our batik factory tour and lesson.

Oh, and John is looking for new markets for his batiks. So if you’re reading this and have an outlet that might sell them, let us know and we can help you get in touch. Or you can just give him a call – his number is on the door. 🙂

7 Comments
« How Many Devices Does It Take To Get Off The Grid?
Makonde Reunion »

7 Responses

  1. cathy olson says
    May 7, 2019 at 7:46 pm

    Enjoyable reading. Sounds like a great day for you folks. Happy for you.

    Reply
  2. Karen says
    May 7, 2019 at 8:26 pm

    How cool! What a great day. Love TZ

    Reply
  3. Wolfe says
    May 9, 2019 at 10:03 pm

    Wow!!!! Well done… I really admire your ability to just say “Yes” and go for it!

    Reply
  4. Casey Gluckman says
    May 9, 2019 at 10:42 pm

    Too bad you two aren’t talented, except for everything you set your hand to! I love batiks. I’m going to check around town to see if the quilt shop, the brand new fabric shop or some of the shops selling high end tourist shops would be interested. I want to visit this shop!!

    Reply
  5. Charlie says
    May 10, 2019 at 1:19 am

    Amazing! I love everything about this, what a wonderful opportunity to experience the real local culture! I can’t wait to hear more!

    Reply
  6. retsu says
    May 10, 2019 at 12:34 pm

    What a cool experience. You’re such good students! Now that you have the tool, I’m wondering if/how this batik experience might show up in some future creative endeavor of yours (plural).

    Reply
  7. Carole says
    May 29, 2019 at 7:47 pm

    That’s so fantastic – the adventure, the day you spent there, the experience with John, Sam, and Tito, and the batik you made. That street view brings back memories, I could almost smell it.

    Reply

Leave a comment

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us Around The World

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On YoutubeVisit Us On InstagramCheck Our Feed

Follow the Adventure by Email

Places We’ve Been

  • Argentina
  • Bali
  • Bolivia
  • Chile
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Mongolia
  • Netherlands
  • Panama
  • Peru
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tanzania
    • Zanzibar
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
    • Massachusetts
    • Washington

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

© No Map Required!