Olivia Schneider International Development in Practice 13 November 2013 The Production and Supply Chain of Malian Bogolan This

report attempts to provide Rubia with some insights into the organization of Malis bogolan industry. It will investigate the supply chain from the artisans who make the bogolan to the exporters who sell it abroad. Based on the limited information available online, this report cannot provide a comprehensive view of all actors at each level of the supply chain. However, research has yielded several organizations that might serve as valuable contacts for investigating this matter further. The report will first provide a brief history of bogolan and some details on its current production. It will then investigate different levels of the supply chain, from artisan cooperatives and related NGOs to Malian export companies. Finally, it will conclude with recommendations for Rubia and further steps that should be taken. Bogolan History and Production Bogolan is produced in locations all over Mali, including Bamako, Segou, Mopti, Djenn, and San. It has great cultural significance to the Bamana people and they are the ethnic group most associated with bogolan, both in Mali and in Western scholarship. However, it has long been made by members of other ethnic groups, including the Dogon, who use the same techniques but different styles.1 In traditional bogolan production, men weave the cotton cloth while the women apply the dyes and mud that create the distinctive patterns associated with bogolan. The traditional dying technique is a laborious process that was passed on from older women to young girls through long apprenticeships. However, an article entitled Bogolanfini in Bamako: The Biography of a Malian Textile describes how bogolan production has shifted beyond these traditional processes in order to create tourist-market bogolan2. The article suggests that much of the tourist-market bogolan is produced by entrepreneurial young men, rather than women who have learned the technique through apprenticeship3. Instead of the laborious traditional process, touristmarket bogolan producers generally use stencils in order to greatly reduce production time. The article
1 2

Rovine, Victoria. "Bogolanfini in Bamako: The Biography of a Malian Textile." African Arts30.1 (1997): 40-51. Ibid. 3 Ibid

also describes how owners of tourist-oriented shops may buy hundreds of meters of cloth at a time, and then send the cloth out to the villages, where large groups of men, women, and children mass-produce bulk bogolan. The leader in bulk bogolan production is the city of San, where most of the tourist-market cloth is created, as well as most of the bogolan exported for sale outside Mali4. Bogolan Supply Chain A report by the group Light Years IP provides valuable insight into the production and supply chain of Malian bogolan. In this report, they discuss the various producers who operate within the bogolan market: Artisans work in workshops or cooperatives painting cloth that has been provided to them by a merchant/exporter. There are also merchants known as suitcase sellers who operate on a small scale.5 This is important because it confirms that there are already many established artisan cooperatives in place that Rubia would be able to work with. The report also notes that several artists have founded workshops to teach the craft to young people.6 This also has important implications for Rubia, because it indicates that there are many artisans who have the skills to partner with Rubia and teach this craft to the women they serve. However, the most valuable information is revealed as the report details the money earned by each actor along the supply chain: For their work painting a pagne (eight to ten strips of cotton sewn together) measuring approximately 45" x 70", artisans earn $1-2. The merchant/exporter may then sell the cloth for about $9. Wholesale prices range between $12-24 and at retail, a pagne can sell for $35-65 with prices reaching up to $125. Alternatively, independent artisans who fund themselves may sell their pieces for $12-48, depending upon negotiations with the buyer.7 Based on the supply chain described by Light Years IP, there is clearly some exploitation going on in the market, with exporters, wholesalers and retailers making the majority of the profits. Thus, Rubia could provide a valuable service to artisans by connecting them to foreign markets without taking a huge cut of the profits. Based on initial investigations, it seemed clear that several bogolan artist cooperatives exist throughout Mali, but not many of them had a significant online presence. Through short articles, tourist

4 5

Ibid "Malian Mudcloth (Bogolan)." Light Years IP. <http://www.lightyearsip.net/scopingstudy/malian_mudcloth.aspx>. 6 Ibid 7 Ibid

blogs, and NGO reports, I managed to find reference to cooperatives in Djenn8, Segou9, Koutiala10, and Banamba11. Although these sources do not provide us with sufficient contact information to actually reach out to these cooperatives, they at least provide evidence that there are bogolan cooperatives active throughout many areas of Mali. Hopefully, our contacts can provide us with connections to some of these small-scale local artisans. There are also several NGOs that partner with artisan cooperatives, working with them directly to avoid the exploitative supply chain. One NGO that is extremely relevant to Rubias model is MaliMali, which opened up a studio in Djenn where women can weave and dye bogolan. MaliMali then sells the products through their online shop and through a beauty product company12. Another possible partner is Proud Mary Textiles, which works with local textile artisans and sells their products in an online shop13. They already work with a mens social enterprise workshop in Mali that produces bogolan, but given their interest in artisan textile cooperatives and their upscale market, they might serve as a good distribution partner. In addition to exploring cooperatives and NGOs, it is also worthwhile to look at some of the export companies that are at play in the Malian bogolan industry. One valuable resource is the West African Trade Hub, which provides a directory of West African Exporters14. From this list, there were three Malian export companies that dealt in bogolan: Atelier Ndomo, Nirela Rue 420, and Sininyesiggui. All three were certified to be export-ready meaning that they meet production deadlines, have effective quality control, and use socially responsible production methods. Other Malian export companies that deal with bogolan include Mali Chic and Farafina Tigne, both of which worked with Hallmark to produce handbags for its (RED) label15.

Day 18More Djenn. ETs Travel Blog. 22 June 2013. < http://www.elisabeth-thoburn.com/2013/06/22/day-18more-Djenn/>. 9 Olivier, Asselin. Bogolan News Photographers Association of Canada. 3 February 2010. < http://npac.ca/2010/02/bogolan-olivier-asselin/> 10 From one formation to the next. Musing in Mali. 23 June 2011. < http://bethroberts13.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/from-one-formation-to-the-next/>. 11 Mali: A Textile Museum Study Tour. The Textile Museum. <http://www.textilemuseum.org/PDFs/MaliArchToursItin.pdf> 12 The Studio. MaliMali. < http://www.malimali.org/the-studio/>. 13 Artisans. Proud Mary Textiles. < http://www.proudmary.org/Artisans>. 14 Directory of West African Exporters. West Africa Trade Hub, March 2013. <http://www.watradehub.com/sites/default/files/resourcefiles/aug09/exporters-directory_0.pdf>. 15 Success Story: Historic AGOA Export Reaches Retail Giant. West African Trade Hub. < http://www.watradehub.com/sites/default/files/resourcefiles/feb11/success-hallmark-07.pdf>

Contact with West African Trade Hub or any of these export companies could potentially provide further information on the bogolan industry supply chain or connections to local artisan cooperatives. Recommendations for Rubia Based on this preliminary report, Rubias plan of creating a womens cooperative for bogolan production seems to be a definite possibility. For one, the popularity of bogolan in the West demonstrates that there would be a significant demand for bogolan products in the U.S. Bogolan has long been produced by the Dogon people and there seem to be cooperatives active in Djenn, so if Rubia wants to concentrate on that area many existing structures are already in place. Although tourist markets for bogolan seem to be dominated by men, this is most likely because they have greater access to the funds necessary to purchase materials16. Thus, by providing opportunities for bogolan production, Rubia could help women gain access to this lucrative, male-dominated market and regain womens ownership of this craft. The fact that there seems to be some exploitation along the supply chain also means that Rubia would be able to cut out the middle-men and allow artisans to enjoy more of the profits from their handiwork. In terms of the next steps to take, we should concentrate on reaching out to some of the actors that have been identified in this report. One of the first organizations we should contact is MaliMali. As a womens cooperative that produces bogolan in Djenn, their work is very similar to Rubias model and they could hopefully provide us with some great information and contacts. If possible, it would also be very helpful to contact Light Years IP. Since their brief report did not provide any information about how they obtained the reported price figures, talking to them would allow us to determine how well their data represents the overall bogolan industry. It would also be helpful to find out which merchants/exporters they surveyed and find out what kind of companies they looked at on the wholesale and retail level. In the best case scenario, they would be able to give us some of the data they used to compile their report. If not, they could at least provide us with more information on the different actors at each level of the supply chain. While this report hopes to provide some initial insights, it is crucial to talk to these contacts in order to develop a more cohesive view of the landscape of the bogolan industry. Hopefully, this will enable Rubia to decide how best to adapt its model to help post-conflict Mali.

16

Rovine, Victoria. "Bogolanfini in Bamako: The Biography of a Malian Textile." African Arts30.1 (1997): 40-51.

Guide to the Relevant Resources Provided

Rovine, Victoria. "Bogolanfini in Bamako: The Biography of a Malian Textile." African Arts 30.1 (1997): 40-51.

This article was extremely valuable in terms of providing information on bogolans traditional production, and its section on tourist-market bogolan which you can find on page 43. I have provided the most relevant highlights of the article, but you might also find it helpful to read the articles descriptions of the traditional bogolan process and the tourist-market stencil process. The article is accessible through JSTOR, but I can also send it to you if that would be easier. Light Years IP Report: http://www.lightyearsip.net/scopingstudy/malian_mudcloth.aspx This report is very brief, but it gets to some of major questions we have about the supply chain for bogolan. Their website states that they can be contacted at info@lightyearsip.net. MaliMali: www.malimali.org This NGO seems extremely relevant to the work Rubia wants to do in Mali, and we should definitely contact them in the coming weeks. Their website says that they can be contacted at sophie@malimali.org. If you go to the website, the Studio tab provides more information about their bogolan studio while the Shop tab shows all of the products they have for sale. Proud Mary Textiles: This company is less relevant to Rubias work than MaliMali, but they still might provide some useful information on the bogolan industry if we were to contact them. They could also serve as a valuable partner in the future in terms of selling and distributing products. They can be contacted at info@proudmary.org. West African Trade Hub: Directory of West African Exporters http://www.watradehub.com/sites/default/files/resourcefiles/aug09/exporters-directory_0.pdf If you are interested in getting in touch with any bogolan exporters, this directory provides an excellent source. We might also consider trying to contact West African Trade Hub to see if they can provide us with any information on the bogolan industry. They can be contacted at info@watradehub.com. Djenn Bogolan Womens Cooperative There seems to be evidence of a womens bogolan cooperative that works in Djenn. I dont think they have an official website, but I found a blog post by a tourist who described the cooperative and talked a bit about its leader, Pama Sinintao. The post can be found at: http://www.elisabeththoburn.com/2013/06/22/day-18-more-djenne/. I also found a Youtube video about a visit to a womens cooperative in Djenn, which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVApiUXs01o. These sources are obviously somewhat unreliable and they dont provide any contact information, but if Rubia is interested in working in Djenn, this cooperative would be a great contact.