Banana fibre for fabrics: A refreshing innovation

Rwandans are known for their exquisite and truly majestic Imishanana traditional attires. Now the country has decided to venture into the creative world of fabrics, this time on a discovery mission of how to manufacture fabrics from banana fibre. Bananas are a staple food here in Rwanda being consumed by the greater part of the population. While we consume the fruit, cloth will be woven from tree fibres. Now imagine how the local textile industry is set for a major boom, after the announcement today of the seven-member technical team that is set for Japan, to start the process of transferring banana textile technology to Rwanda. This team is going to study this ancient tradition of transforming banana fibre into textiles which dates back to the 13th century, in Japan. It’s a no brainer, that perhaps this will be one of the most innovative, income generating and community empowering projects of our time. The initiative that is gaining momentum with the support of Japan’s Tama Art University (TAU), who are working with the relevant government institutions and local investors, could revolutionanise the local textile industry.