It is an ancient art threatened by civilization and luxury, but traditional cane weavers in Lagos insist that their products have become luxury items. Seun Akioye, who spent time with some of them, reports
It was an unlikely place to look for luxury, yet for 14 years, men and women dedicated to their art have turned it into a goldmine. Here, men of high fashion and taste, those who desire quality and a bit of the unusual would flock for a piece of an art which though threatened through generations and civilization, has refused to die.
Every morning under the Maryland Bridge, which links Ikorodu Road to Ojota, Mark Ewhleberene resumed in his office- a tiny enclosure made of plank and built closely with several others- and began his work. He is a master cane worker, a trade he learnt in 1985 when he first came to Lagos from Delta State. In recent years, he has combined his job of making household utensils out of cane wood with that of being the chairman of Cane Weavers Association of Nigeria (CWAN), Lagos State branch.
When The Nation met Ewhleberene, he was half way into the weaving of what he called a “walkway” pot, about two feet tall with a hollow inside which can be used to hold flowers in a hall or large office. Watching the master weaver at work is a delight as well as a curious undertaking. He held a water cane in his hands and with the dexterity of a’ master’ long accustomed to such delicate and intricate exercise, he weaved the cane around a round frame he had made. At first, it did not look anywhere near the “walkway pot” he intended but after one hour, it began to take shape, a resemblance of a flower pot.
As Ewhleberene worked, cars sped past overhead. Sometimes the heaviness of the sound of the vehicle on the bridge indicated the type of vehicle passing. There are more than 40 cane weavers working under the bridge, each one weaving similar design yet in some intricate way the works are very distinct from each other.
The bridge where the cane weavers work is accessed through the Mende end of Maryland just by the bend where the road curves into an arch which then leads one back to Maryland. Unless one is pre-informed, it will be difficult to think that such magnificent products are being built under the bridge. The cane weaver’s shops are built side by side on each side of the open space, facing each other.
In front of every shop is a display of exquisite artworks ranging from all household items made from cane. There are pots, baskets, hand fans, chairs, beds etc.
The cane weavers could be found sitting in front of their shops while the cane works are in various stages of completion. Denis Omadide was making a table; he had finished with the frame using wood and was carefully using a water cane to weave intricate designs on it. Not far away, two boys were busy peeling the skin off a willow cane which would be used as a frame for a flower vase.
“We used to stay around Mende before but in 2001, we moved under this bridge because we were asked to leave our former place. Now, the bulk of our people stay under this bridge to work and the government has been kind to allow us use this place,” Ewhleberene said.
In the beginning
Cane architecture has always been a popular art in Nigeria but it did not get the international reputation as an exquisite work of arts until the 1980s, according to Ewhleberene.
“It was a time Nigerians began to travel to the United Kingdom and they see how those people were using the cane and how much they appreciated it, then the value also increased here in Nigeria,” he said.
The cane business in Lagos is generally dominated by people from the Niger Delta; this is unsurprising because the cane itself is mostly grown in the rainforests of Edo and Delta states. Though, a sizeable portion could also be found in Epe in Lagos.
In Lagos, the earlier practitioners are those who came from the Delta and settled around Maryland after the Nigerian Civil war. They brought with them the cane architecture and began to produce simple household items and instruments for their trade like the fishing cage.
Soon, Lagosians began to take more than a passing interest and seeing the economic potentials, the Niger Deltans began to make it in commercial quantity. “When I came to Lagos in 1985, the people I was staying with were all cane weavers and I had no choice but to join them in that business,” Ewhleberene confessed.
Omadide who began the business about 12 years ago had a similar experience when he arrived in Lagos. He had no choice but to follow the precedence laid down by those he met in the city. Today, he has risen to become the vice chairman of the Cane Weavers Association.
There are two basic types of cane used in weaving. The first is the water cane which is the primary cane needed for weaving, while the other is the willow cane which is stronger and bigger and can be used to form the frame of whatever product to be weaved.
“The water cane is the most important, you can see that we first peel it, then we tear it out into tiny strands suitable for weaving and knitting and tying,” Omadide said.
Cane is the future
Many of the weavers believe that cane is the future of furniture. It is difficult to convince them that people may consider their art as primordial thereby unappreciated. Omadide believes that cane is perhaps the stylish fashion statement anyone can make in Nigeria today. Ewhleberene agreed with him.
“Cane chairs are for the rich people, they use it in their offices, hotels, swimming pools and even the beach, it is a show of class. When you really want to see those who are of higher taste look at their furniture and you will find cane there,” he said.
These cane weavers may not be boasting for nothing. For on the shelves of most of them, every conceivable item was made of cane. There was a complete set of upholstery made from cane, tables, single chairs, baby cots, kitchen equipments, baskets, dustbins and even a bed.
“Anything you can draw, we can weave,” Omadide said.
This was not an idle boast, a few meters from his store; Francis Djikounou was putting finishing touches to a most unusual product. A coffin! Two weeks earlier, one of his clients had requested that he made a coffin for the burial of his mother using cane. It was not the first time such a request would be made, but for Francis it was his first cane coffin.
Francis’ coffin was not different from the wood coffins in design; however it was made from cane and grass and tightly knitted together to prevent water seeping into the body. When lifted it was not as heavy as a wood coffin. But as ingenious as this coffin was, Francis was not proud of his work.
“I am not looking for any more customers, I don’t want to do coffin again, anything that has to do with death and coffins, I don’t want to be part of it, I don’t like the sound of death,” he said.
“I am not a poor man”
One may be tempted to believe that the weavers are poor and desolate men and women looking to make a meager living. Far from it, Ewhleberene said. He said that people who practice cane weaving have been able to educate their children, build houses and live comfortable lives.
“I am not a poor man,” he insisted.
Omadide said on the average, a weaver can make N30,000 profit in a month, now that is the worst scenario. On a good day, one makes an average of N100,000 and during festival times like Christmas when there are demands for baskets, one can make a sale of up to N2million.
The products too do not come cheap. An average cane pot costs between N4,000 to N5,000 while a complete set of upholstery could cost between N150,000 and N250,000.
Cane weaving has also been beneficial to many young people too. There are some University graduates who are still involved in weaving. Many of them paid their way through school weaving cane. Odafe Otomi-Joseph is one of them. A graduate of Purchasing and Supply from The Polytechnic Ibadan, Odafe had his late father to thank for teaching him how to make a living through cane weaving.
“I am an orphan and it was this cane weaving that saw me through school. I would make a lot of cane for people to help me to sell; as soon as that is done I will come back from school and make another set. It was a living hell living without any support for me and my siblings,” he said.
Odafe went though “hell” to acquire education and did his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service in Taraba state in 2010.
Government can help us
All the cane weavers want the Lagos State government to help them in many different ways. , Ewhleberene wants the government to give them formal recognition as that would enable them access loans that would help them expand the business.
Omadide believes that working under the bridge is undesirable. “The job is good, but working under the bridge is not a good position, the government allowed us here because we are artisans now we are pleading that the governor should find a more permanent place for us. If we find a better place, this business will grow, he said.
Weaving cane and looking forward
Surprisingly, despite the promising future in cane business, many of the current practitioners still crave some other businesses. For many of them, cane weaving is not what one can do forever and after acquiring some capital it is time to move on to other things.
Ewhleberene is still in the business because he is a cautious man. “You have to look before you leap,” he said. But in the not too distant future, he would like to go into business, buying and selling probably, this time it will not be cane.
Omadide shared the same sentiment. “I can leave not because this job is not good but because I want to do something else,” he admitted.
Fortune is yet to smile on Odafe, now married with two daughters. He is also dreaming of getting a paid job while he would open a showroom far from Mende where he can display his cane chairs. “Things are still tough, I want to get a university degree, but with the situation now, it is impossible. I have plans, once you get to my showroom you must buy something, I will make sure of that,” he said.
So why would these people want to try other businesses? According to them, making money is a little slow in cane business but once you make a sale, you are guaranteed a good profit. Also, the business is seasonal with most of the sales coming towards the end of the year. “That is why I want to have a paid job so that I can survive when cane is not selling,” Odafe said.
Ewhleberene wants Nigerians to change their perception about cane products. “Cane chair for instance is a modern furniture, everyone is changing, Nigerians should change to cane. It is durable, strong and better that the other chairs. It can change your home for the better.”
While Ewhleberene was doing his best selling cane to the reporter, traffic was building up overhead on the bridge. Every day, thousands of Lagosians would drive over Ewhleberene and his weavers never realizing, they probably just passed over a goldmine.
