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Ciku Kimeria is a Kenyan author "Of goats and poisoned oranges" - (https://www.amazon.com/goats-poisoned-oranges-Ciku-Kimeria-ebook/dp/B00HBBWPI6), development consultant, adventurer and travel blogger (www.thekenyanexplorer.com). She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She has worked on diverse pieces for various international and local publications including Quartz, Ozy, The East African etc. She has travelled to 45 countries – 16 of them in Africa. 153 countries to go and 63 territories!
"Of goats and poisoned oranges" has been extremely well received in Kenya and beyond. It tells the story of a Kenyan middle aged power couple and their complicated marriage. The novel explores issues of greed, revenge, betrayal and murder. It runs from the 1960s to 2013. It has been described as “Wicked, funny, poignant, wacky, human, a big ball of fun and danger”, “A unique and captivating book”, “Fun and intriguing”, “Impossible to put down once you start reading.”
She recently moved to Dakar, Senegal from Kenya to work on her second novel. She also works at as the Africa Communication Manager at a leading global strategy consulting firm.
She holds a B.S. in Management Science from MIT with minors in Urban Planning and International development studies.
How Cheap Imports Destroyed Congo's Textile Industry
African print is all the rage these days. Africans, people of African descent and Afrocentric people the world over are embracing the unique patterns, vibrant colors and bold designs. Beyonce's album Lemonade featured some amazing African print outfits. African prints are a common feature on Hollywood red carpets, high fashion runways the world over. A little known fact, though, is that most of these prints are now manufactured in Asia (for the mass market) or the Netherlands for the higher end versions.
The origin and inspiration of most of the fabrics is African, but unfortunately due to low cost of imports from China and the ability of Chinese manufacturers to closely mimic unique African designs, most of the production of these fabrics happens in Asia. This article explores the changes that happened to the local textile industry in DR Congo and how it affected the lives of those in it.
As the eldest of 17 orphaned children, Kashala made enough to feed his siblings, and then his own family, taking a second wife as the factory thrived ...
The Chinese entry was subtle, despite the large volumes of cloth that came to the Congo. At first they only supplied the bales of plain cotton fabric, according to Kashala. Then printed fabric began to arrive, the quality seeming to improve with every run until they were able to mimic the Congolese designs. Soon, it required a meticulous eye to notice the difference.
The Asian competition was also greatly aided by the fact that in the last years of longtime ruler Mobutu Sese Seko's rule the country was battered by widespread looting (with the main beneficiary being the President and his cronies), country-wide riots, and a civil war that started with Sese Seko's demise. All this saw textile production decrease by 83% from 1990 to 1996.
By the time relative peace returned, the Congo’s textile industry had seen little investment, made worse by aging machines and workers who were now less efficient than their Asian competitors.
