ASSISTANCE FOR THE INSTRUCTORS OF THE ARTISANAL CENTRES OF KPALIME

Willing to promote exchanges in the handicraft domain and trying to valorise the products of local craftmanship, the NGO ASTOVOT sets up a new volunteering programm. It assists the workers of the artisanal centres and the „Collège d’Enseignement Artistique et Artisanal“(Artistic and Artisanal Teaching College) by giving all interested volunteers the opportunity to offer their experiences to the personnel and trainees in the handicraft domain. This project gives also the opportunity to learn and to exchange with them. If you would like to work in this domain and if you want to convey your talents and creativity, then this project is made for you. Objectives: • Convey one’s talents and creativity through organised workshops and artisanal productions; • Learn the local techniques in painting, in ceramics, in creating wooden sculptures, in batik, in weaving „pagne“, in tailoring …; • Share one’s passion and live a real artisanal and artistic exchange; • Discover the african craftmanship; Brief presentation of the „Collège d’Enseignement Artistique et Artisanal“ (CEAA - Artistic and Artisanal Teaching College) of Kpalimé: The artisanal centre of Kloto was founded in the late 1960s and is located in Kpalimé. This centre combines simultaneously the fabrication and the commercialisation of art objects and the formation of young trainees in these two sectors. One can found there a huge variety in artisanal articles: wooden sculptures, pottery, batik (impressions on fabric, T-shirts, „pagnes“, …), and macramé. It is the only public school that forms young people in the artisanal domain. The variety and the quality of the sculpture is surprising. One can find statues, coffrets, chairs and animals (elephants, gazells, …). Pottery is another speciality of the centre. Batik stained by hand and fabricated in a procedure with wax, can be found in the centre as well as fabric weaved with vivid colours by women. The so-weaved fabric shows traditional African motives of the life in villages and Togolese history. There are other artisanal centres in the municipality of Kpalimé which would receive volunteers and trainees too, depending on their wishes and motivations. Mission of the volunteer • Assist the instructors of the centre in their daily routine with young trainees; • Learn the techniques of the instructors and local artists. The presence of the volunteer/trainee encourages and stimulates simultaneously their creativity in several studios of the centre; • Work with young trainees and artists while helping them to develop their creativity and talents. The voluinteers/trainees will be most of the time in studios. The different studios are: • Pottery • Sculpture with wood • Tailoring (stylism and modelism) and hairdressing • Manufacturing of jewelry (earrings, bracelets) with natural materials (shells, beads) • Painting • Manufacturing of batik The volunteer is asked to show parts of typical handicraft of his/her country. This project isn’t a full-time volunteering project: you can combine it with little dance or percussion courses in order to complete the discovery of Togolese Culture and all its art expressions.