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Malian fabric producers are famed for their distinctive bogolan designs – the word means “made with earth” in the Bambara language.
Since June these fabrics have been stamped with a logo confirming their place of origin, but as RFI reports, Mali is now hoping to get additional certification for these goods from the African Intellectual Property Organisation (AIPO).
“The textile industries have started to take an interest in creations from Mali and we see them everywhere,” teacher and entrepreneur Boubacar Doumbia tells the French-language broadcaster.
“Across West Africa, we see fabrics printed with bogolan-style designs. Given this reality of this piracy, the craftsmen who live off this work have difficulty selling their products.”
Mali’s bogolan makers are hoping they’ll receive AIPO certification within six months.