Papa's Got a Brand New Bag(amoyo Shirt)

One striking thing you see in Tanzania is the bright clothing people wear. The traditional cloth is called Kanga and it comes in many colors and patterns. The dresses the women wear are very colorful. On the weekends you also will also see pairs or small groups of women with matching dresses. Often the cloth matches, but the dresses have individual styles.

Where do the people get this clothing? There are NO large stores or shops in Bagamoyo, not even grocery stores.

A lot of the dresses and nice shirts are made by tailors. Some of the small shops (10 feet by 10 feet) sell kanga cloth, and some are tailor shops. I could not let this opportunity pass, so I got a shirt made.

My new Bagamoyo shirt

Background

Last week Kim and I bought our souvenirs at the Artist's Market, a coop in the Old Slave Market in Bagamoyo. It is much smaller than the shops in Dar es Salaam or Arusha, but you can see the craftsmen carving and painting. We crossed the street to a shop that displayed cloth, handbags and shirts. It is a small NGO (Non-Government Organization) run by Pili Mtomga. It supports women working in the clothing business.

Pili Mtonga - She runs a co-op helping women by providing jobs.

A friend Mauricio ran out and found already made shirts. I found one of the right size and Pili measured it. For material I chose a custom batik that the co-op made, so it is a unique pattern and set of colors. Two days later - my shirt was ready. I wore it to mass on Sunday.

So yesterday, Tuesday, May 29th, Matt Knauss, Manuel Frontera and I took a tuk-tuk, a three wheeled motorcycle cab, across town to a shopping district. We bumbled around and bought some kanga as we headed in the general direction of Pila's shop. By the way, most of the sewing machines here are pedal operated. Pili said they are cheaper Chinese machines, but they can sew when the electricity is out. She also has an electric machine they use for embroidery and other fine work.