Craft making is an important source of revenue all over the world.
In the small village of Ambavalao in Madagascar, is the Antaimoro paper factory. Using bark from the Avoha tree, women pound the paper into a mush. Once the bark is reduced to pulp, its laid out on screens and carefully decorated with pretty local flowers and leaves. A thin solution of liquid bark fixes the flowers in place. The sheets of paper are left to dry in the warm island sun. The dried paper is used for notebooks, albums, lampshades and mounted pictures. Tourists visiting the area provide an important source of income through purchasing the carefully crafted Antaimoro paper.
This ancient tradition goes back to the first Muslim immigrants who reached the island’s eastern coast. Needing paper to write verses from the Koran, they found the bark of the Avoha tree was a suitable material. Nowadays sisal paste is also used to increase the amount of paper production.
Antaimoro paper factory
