Fish Net Repairers in Funkia Goderich Community.
By Emmanuel Nyakeh Momoh.
Our first series of unleashing the skills of informal dwellers captured the artistic skills of repairing fishing nets at the Funkia Goderich Community in Freetown. The Funkia Goderich Community has been well known for fish trading since the colonial period within the Western Urban Settlements, and such, has been a source of livelihood for majority of the informal dwellers. Hence, KYC Media captured some of the young folks who most often, spend more time to reshape these nets to catch more fishes in the Community. This skill demands more time to ensure that the repaired nets meet their intended purpose and in achieving such objective, there is need for high level of concentration on the work.
Such skill also demands the wit and grit to play with the needle and thread. It demands much effort to fix them at the appropriate positions that urgently need repair on the fish nets. This Fish Net Repairing skills have been also solving problems for majority of the fish traders who cannot afford to buy sophisticated nets. It is also identified as significant tool of transition from crisis to resilience for the slum communities and other informal creeks. The net repairers most often spend more time on their job, even in the rains and they use blades to cut out flea-bitten areas on the net.
Mohamed Kamara is one of the Net Repairers in the Funkia Community, speaking to KYC, the prolific Fish Net Repairer said he has been repairing fishing nets for couple of years, noting that such skill has been a major source of livelihood.
“I am passionate about my job and I have been repairing fish nets for majority of fishermen in this Community, and I believe that if I have more logistics, I will be able to extend my business and employ other people, “Mohamed Kamara added. There are several stories of fish farming in Funkia Goderich Community, such as fish sales, fish preservation and among others. KYC Media team intends to unleash various skills related to such trade within the informal settlements.