Saturday, May 25, 2013

Feature story on the internationally acknowledged Zanzibari Farouque Abdella

While the Swahili Intesnsive group and I were touring Zanzibar one afternoon I had the luck to run into one of the Islands historic figures Farouque Abdella known for exposing the world to



East African fashion and design. The following is the feauture story I wrote on him after I had the pleasure of Interviewing the "2nd wonder of  Zanizibar" ( the first being a museum actually named the House of Wonders)

My interview with Farouque courtesy of  Mrs. Askew
Looking down on the Indian Ocean as the sun rose from its depths, Farouque Abdela, the self-proclaimed   “2nd wonder of Zanzibar” leered from his sun glasses atop the porch of his shop in Zanzibar. As if he was turning back time himself, the fourth generation tailor from a family of the like lit a cigarette exuberating the pride that comes from pioneers of innovation.

 His method of using recycled items such as sacks, plastic bags, and other litter as material for his designs serves as a precursor for Abdela’s innovative methodology.

                Beyond Abdella’s “green” approach, His work takes a spin on Masai and Egyptian culture and design. ”I believe there is a link between the Masai and the Eqyptians” Abdella explained. His work is heavily influenced by these two cultures.

                “Their physical features and style of dress captivates me, but it’s also about preserving the culture, I admire the Masai Tribes’ preservation of their culture through-out the era of colonism”. However, Abdela himself has been involved, all his life, in preserving the initially neglected fashion and culture of East Africa.

As a kid Abdela was kept busy with tailoring tasks, he explained. Being born into tailoring he recalls how he and his three brothers were called upon to help their father in his tailoring “If we wanted something from our father we worked for it” Abdella said as he put out his cigarette.

 During the Zanzibari revolution in 1964 his family left. It was then Abdella enrolled into the London College of fashion.

In his college years Farouque was introduced to people of many different back-rounds and life styles.

                 “Through this exposure to such varieties of people I gained a diversified perspective” Abdella explained, as children ran up his porch holding out their hands to him, Farouque pulled out a few pieces of hard candy and handed it to them one by one before they jetted off. It was also in school that Abdela made many of the relationships that would aid him in his later endeavors.

After graduating Farouque enveloped himself in his work and his efforts did not go unnoticed, in 1999 he was invited to return to Zanzibar for its film festival to do a fashion show.

While in Zanzibar Abdela was also called upon to aid the Zanzibar Association of People Living with AIDS (ZAPLA). It was in this group that his networking allowed him to create funding and infrastructure Abdella explained. “This was the beginning of my group coordinating and my most successful charity event, among a few others”

More recently Abdela‘s involves himself with Albinism awareness, down syndrome charity, and cleaning up the environment “The bad, you can turn into good” He said.

At the Height of his career Abdela was requested to showcase his work at the Paris Fashion week

“I was practically hysterical” He recalls, “I wanted to make an impact” this was the debut of his Masai design. It was here his work was acknowledged by Princess Diana. “She was a normal person like anyone else” he explained.

Despite the attention and fame that his work created, Abdela experienced his first taste of the racial divide of these times which separated the white designers from him. “I received significantly less coverage than white designers” he explained. Regardless of this sobering experience Abdela recalls his Paris debut as “A life changing experience” this was the moment that changed his self-concept he reminisced as he pulled on his cigarette.

“Afterwards I sought to destroy stigmas, restore self-worth, and individual thinking in my community through my projects and works” Abdella concluded. His works run parallel to the underpinnings of equality and a universal celebration of difference.

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