Several local artisans are honing their skills at our 10-day Master Class Workshops! On Monday, January 30, the NCF team, led by Andrea Wells, Chief Cultural Officer, and Nyzinga Onifa, Programme Facilitator, welcomed the artisans to the opening of the interactive workshops in crochet and leather craft, taking place at The Bagnall's Point Gallery at Pelican Craft Centre. Over the 10 days, participants will have the opportunity to fine-tune their skills as they gain additional knowledge and skills from Aliou Sylla, Master Tanner and Leather Maker; Lisle George Forde, Master Leather Maker and Stitcher; and Adama Diouf, Master Crochet Designer. The leather craft workshop features both Aliou Sylla and Lisle George Forde. Aliou is a Senegalese master tanner, artisan of leather goods, and antique dealer who has over 30 years of experience and combines traditional and inherited generational knowledge and methods with new technologies in his production. While Lisle, a Barbadian, currently based in Los Angeles, has worked as a leather artisan for over 45 years. He takes pride in innovation, excellence in quality, and craftsmanship while paying attention to detail. Taking the reins on the crochet workshop is Adama Diouf, an impeccable Senegalese crochet designer who reinvents crochet into a form of modern creativity by designing patterns and garments based on traditional fibre art techniques. During the course of the workshops, the trainees will practice and complete a prototype of their own for conversion into the finished leather product.
