Toc, toc, to...t..c

Toc, toc, toc, toc. Again and again. For a month and a half. This is how long my bed spread took to be woven in a village close to Korogho. Thread after thread, the hands of anonymous women and adolescents crafted what today covers me at night.
My bed spread is a rarity, which gives me a bitter sweet comfort/discomfort. It appears that West African cotton (11% of the world's cotton) is the best quality cotton in the world. The fact that it is picked by hand, instead of by ugly machines, apparently makes the difference.

However, while some primary processing is done in Cote d'Ivoire (seed cotton is converted to lint in gins located near farms in rural areas) the conversion of cotton lint to thread, textiles and clothing is mostly done elsewhere. And that noise, the toc, toc the beating that feeds the heart of local economies is little by little fading away, just like a distant scary dream under a bed spread.

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