Burkinabè craftsmen have not been left behind in the general scramble to contain the coronavirus pandemic, putting their know-how and means into national efforts to banish the virus from the country.
By Alban Kini
Georges Pitroipa works in his welding workshop south-west of Ouagadougou, the capital of the “land of the honest (incorruptible) men.”
This specialised worker has the firm intention of participating in the national effort to break the transmission chain of Covid-19.
It is for this reason that the father of two invented a subtle hand-washing system.
“I’ve noticed that people use their hands to turn on the tap, the bottle of liquid soap, etc. There are risks involved. So I thought of a hand-washing system with as little handling as possible,” he said.
Since hands are, according to experts, one of the most important vectors of transmission of the virus, the mechanism developed by Georges allows efficient use without manual contact.
As a result, the feet are called upon in this mechanical system for the distribution of water and liquid soap.
Georges, who is in his thirties, made three models of hand-washing machines with one, two or three pedals respectively.
The prices range between CFA40,000 and CFA120,000 (60 and 182 euros).
“We can make ten one-pedal, eight two-pedal and three three-pedal wash-hand basins daily,” he added.
The Faso Dan Fani featured
This woven loincloth has long since crossed the borders of Burkina Faso.
Promoted by the charismatic former head of state Thomas Sankara, the Faso Dan Fani (woven loincloth of the homeland, in the local language) has imposed itself in the Burkinabe dress code.
President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré is currently one of its most illustrious ambassadors.
Creator of the brand Ange Confection, Césarine Massom has focused on this traditional fabric to sew alternative masks for the general public.
In her premises nestled in Dassasgho, a neighbourhood to the east of Ouagadougou, work is in full swing.
“People had difficulty finding medical masks. My goal is to contribute to the battle against the spread of the disease,” the young entrepreneur said.
Cesarine Massom, who emphasised that she is not motivated by profit, sells her cloth masks for CFA150 each (22 cents).
“This is a social price. We didn’t take into account all the production costs such as the woven loincloth, accessories and the time it takes to make them,” she explained.
According to the boss of Ange Confection, the goal is to allow as many people as possible to wear masks so that the virus does not circulate unhindered in her country.
581 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Burkina Faso where the virus has already killed 38 people since March 9.
In Africa, the death toll recently passed the 1,000 mark.
Only two countries on the continent are officially spared by the pandemic: Lesotho and the Comoros Island.
ALK/id/te/lb/as/APA