Palliasse
Correspondence from Eastern Region
Some residents of Lorlornyor and Berlekope near Kpong in the Eastern region are making a living out of crafting local straw mattresses known as palliasses.
Locally known as berley by the Krobo people, the mattresses come in different sizes such as double, one and half and single beds selling between GHC200 and GHC300 cedis.
The craftsmen who inherited the skill from their grandparents described it as lucrative and ply it either on a part-time or full-time basis.
“As for the business, we took over from our grandparents. They did it before and once they’ve passed out they transferred the business to us, we also inherited from them,” Darli Wonder, a 32-year-old crafter married with a child told GhanaWeb at their shop located on the Kpong-Akosombo highway.
Having been in the business for the past 12 years, he answered, “yes, it’s very lucrative,” when asked if it was a profitable venture.
Materials such as straw, a rope, some fabrics and tools like a needle, a knife, sticks among others are enough for a craftsman to sew the fabrics, toss the rope, drag the fabric during sewing, cut the rope ends and push the straw into the fabric.
The fast fingers can make one mattress within an hour and for Darli, making up to ten tick mattresses or in a day is not a difficult task.
Selling ‘one or two’ mattresses in a day at a cost between Ghc200 and Ghc300 is not a bad business for Darli who is the Unit Committee Secretary for the Kpong-Lorlornyor electoral area.
The market however determines how many of the products he makes at a particular period having various sales points at Lorlornyor, Agomanya and Agogo.
The thatch or straw remains the most important raw material for the crafters who either cut the straw from the bush or buy it from surrounding communities.
The construction of the Tema-Mpakadan Railway line which runs through parts of the local community has led to the clearing of most of the raw materials to pave way for the project forcing them to seek the materials from nearby communities such as Somanya, Odumase, Senchi, Juapong amongst others. Sometimes landowners sell their lands to them to harvest the straw or they buy it directly from sellers.
“Sometimes they are free when you go to cut it in the bush and then when you want to buy it too there are people who sell it,” he said.
Though not many young people have shown interest in the craft, one or two once in a while approach them to acquire the skill. A few of them have gone through the apprenticeship and have already established themselves elsewhere.
Contrary to the perception that the local mattress is only patronized by the poor, Darli said persons of various social standing and background including foreigners and government workers patronize the products for personal use.
Some persons with certain medical conditions reportedly by the mattresses upon doctor’s advice. “We have different classes of people that come to buy,” he said. “Some are teachers, government workers, they’ll come around and say doctor’s advice.”
He nevertheless said getting the fabrics remain a major challenge for them as they are either not available to be purchased or get them at high prices as well as transporting the thatch from the bush to the site.
Explaining why members of the public must patronize local mattresses, Darli said, “they are cheap…it is hard, it can last for a long time depending on how you use it.”
Darli who said he has been using one of his handiworks for the past 12 years advised patrons to avoid pouring liquids into the mattress to ensure its durability.
Additionally, he said, the mattresses are hard and levelled to ensure a comfortable, convenient and safe sleeping posture.
Though he said they are currently able to meet production within their locality, he was nevertheless convinced that expanding their productivity would enable them to produce for a bigger market. He therefore appealed to organisations, individuals and companies to step in and assist them.
“If you have somebody or any organization to advertise or promote the business for us we would be grateful,” he pleaded.
According to him, a factory or the use of modern equipment would enhance their production.
Cosmos Agbo, a fifty-year-old has used the straw mattress for the past 20 years. He calls it “comfortable,” and describes it as “very vice.”
“I feel that the local one is very nice to use, people use to come and buy the local ones complaining that the (conventional) mattress is not good for them,” he said.
Bernice, a young user also said, “it’s very convenient to sleep on, no part of your body aches.”
Assemblyman for Kpong-Lorlornyo electoral area, Raymond Gborson also appealed to various groups to support the crafters to produce on a larger scale for export.
“If we can get people who’ll support them to produce this thing on a larger scale, the way they bring foreign mattresses for us to buy we can also export this so we want people who’ll support them,” said the Assemblyman.
He encouraged young people in his electoral area and beyond to offer themselves to be trained to enable them earn a living from the craft.
