Barkcloth is regaining popularity as a material in Uganda

(9 Dec 2006)
Mpambire Village, Mpigi District
1. Wide of 'Ficus natalensis' tree (known in local Luganda language as 'Mutuba' tree)
2. Medium of tree
3. Various of Musenze, barkcloth producer, scraping bark from trunk
4. Musenze cutting bark on tree
5. Close up sap dripping out of tree trunk
6. Close up Musenze peeling inner layer of bark from trunk
7. Various of Musenze peeling bark from trunk
8. Musenze licking tree trunk
9. Close up Musenze licking tree trunk
10. Wide Musenze wrapping trunk in banana tree leaves
11. Pan down of trunk wrapped in banana tree leaves
12. Wide of Musenze walking towards and then past camera carrying bag with bark
13. Musenze sitting in small open hut pouring banana drink in to container
14. Close up Musenze pouring drink in to container
15. Musenze pouring drink on to plank of wood
16. Musenze drinking through straw
17. Musenze cutting piece of bark
18. Musenze putting bark on to plank
19. Musenze using mallet to beat bark
20. Close up mallet beating bark
21. Close up Musenze's face
22. Original width of bark and new width after beating
23. SOUNDBITE: (Luganda) Kikomeko Musenze, Barkcloth producer
"I can't teach my daughters how to produce this barkcloth because it's not in our culture for women to do it. Traditionally the work is supposed to be done by men, I approached my brothers to teach them but they weren't interested so I've decided to just continue anyway, alone, to keep the tradition alive."
Kampala
24. Wide of shop selling barkcloth products
25. Wall hangings made from barkcloth in shop
26. Bags made from barkcloth
27. Wallets and bookmarks made from barkcloth
28. Cushion covers made from barkcloth
29. Ugandan artist Sanaa Geteja with piece of barkcloth in studio in Kampala
30. Close up Geteja stitching barkcloth
31. Geteja painting barkcloth
32. Close up Geteja painting barkcloth
33. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sanaa Geteja, Ugandan artist :
"The legend behind barkcloth is linked with Kintu and Nambi - the first Ugandans that arrived from the heavens. They arrived through the 'matuba' tree which is the 'ficus' tree that we make barkcloth from - dressed in barkcloth - and started teaching people how to produce this cloth from the tree. And I love to use it because of its colour and texture and of course the story is very interesting for me and inspirational and I want to bring it as a modern fabric."
34. Wide of Ugandan artist and barkcloth arts and craft producer Sarah Nakisanze walking out of studio carrying barkcloth
35. Nakisanze taking piece of barkcloth from wall
36. Wide of Sarah Nakisanze laying barkcloth on floor
37. Nakisanze examining barkcloth
38. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sarah Nakisanze, Ugandan artist and barkcloth arts and craft producer :
"I'm keeping it alive, I'm keeping it contemporary. It's got a story really, it's you know, it tells a whole story of a culture and yet it's not dying, and the association with barkcloth in the past was a terrible one, because it was a burial fabric, you know, they would wrap corpses in the fabric and all of us grew scared of the barkcloth. But right now people are appreciating it."
39. Manager of 'Samaki' clothes shop Davine Kiima
40. Mid of Kiima's face
41. Kiima's hands arranging clothes rack
42. SOUNDBITE: (English) Davine Kiima, Manager of 'Samaki' clothes Shop, Kampala
43. Shirt made from cotton and barkcloth in shop
44. Close up shirt made form cotton and barkcloth
45. Various of barkcloth producer Kikomeko Musenze' working
LEAD IN:
Today the knowledge of how to make the cloth from tree bark is still alive - but only just.
STORYLINE:

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