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ePaper created 2015-12-01, 11:33:23 | version 1.43.00
40 akzente 3/15 C lack-clack-clack – the little wooden shuttle flies back and forth to the rhyth- mic clatter of the loom. ‘Coordination is the most difficult part,’ says ColetteTraoré. As she steps on a pedal with her right foot, the taut warp threads separate to create a gap. Her right hand pulls a cord and the shuttle shoots through. A spool pays out the thread, Traoré pulls it tight with her left arm. She is 42 years old and has spent half her life as a weaver. In Ségou, northeast of the capital Ba- mako, she now has her own business. Her 10 They are still the exception rather than the rule. But many successful small businesses in the West African country of Mali are now run by women. Two examples of successful business development The new bosses TEXT AND PHOTO Antonie RietzschEL help out at home. 69 per cent of women aged between 15 and 24 are unable to read or write. Entrepreneurs like Colette Traoré are an exception. That is why her story is one of triumph over a society in which men have the say. Having grown up with five brothers and a sister, Colette Traoré started work when she was just 12, picking stones out of the cotton employees call her ‘Tanti’. This afternoon Traoré has put on her best clothes. Her elab orately embroidered blue robe and the gold around her neck contrast starkly with the grey walls. There is pride in her appearance – pride born of success. ‘I’m the boss here,’ she says. In Mali, 66 per cent of the population live in poverty, and women are particularly vulnerable. They are prepared for their role as housewives from a young age. Instead of going to school, girls are often required to Top: Colette Traoré pulls all the strings – even when her employee is operating the loom.