Garissa blacksmiths craft livelihoods and preserve tradition in an evolving era
In the bustling market next to the Garissa municipality office, the steady clanging of a blacksmith’s hammer striking a locally made anvil captures your attention.
It is where a group of youths and elderly men make a living from inherited blacksmithing skills, which were passed down from the previous generations to the current one.
Mowlid Osman,45 and a father of 16, is the chairman of the Garissa Blacksmith Association with more than 40 members.
He is guiding his son, who, despite finishing college, never secured a formal job and chose to embrace the craftsmanship passed down through their family as an alternative means of livelihood.
"We have not gone to school to learn these skills, it is apprenticeships that were honed under the watchful eyes of our parents. They gave us lifetime skills that have been our source of livelihood, and we must pass them down from generation to generation," said Mowlid.
Mowlid displays a Somali sword, axes, knives, spears and a spoon that he made using the skills inherited from his father, and they are now ready for sale.
He disclosed training more than 20 youth who were currently actively engaged in blacksmithing.
Initially despised blacksmithing
He regretted how the Somali community initially despised blacksmithing, stigmatising his family members, before embracing it.
He appreciated that now many from outside his family were practising blacksmithing as an important skill that contributes to the development of a nation.
"Despising these skills and knowledge was a result of pride and the culture of the community, seeing anyone who does not stick to livestock keeping being an outsider. With an increasing rate of unemployment and poverty, many from the larger communities in Garissa have now learnt the skills through our support and were part of the members," he claimed.
"You would rather learn skills that will earn you a living than become a criminal or a beggar in the streets," he added.
Some of the items made by members of the Garissa Blacksmith Association. (Photo: Issa Hassan)
Around his workplace, several other blacksmiths, some close family members, are using a locally made charcoal blower, heating metals to a high temperature before shaping and restructuring them to create various objects.
Mowlid said they were selling a Somali sword at Sh3,500, an axe at Sh3,000, a sword at Sh5,000 and a spear at Sh2,500, generating a good income for the members.
"On a day when the sales are not good, I go home with at least Sh5,000 in my pocket, and on Wednesday, during the livestock market day, I get almost Sh20,000 since the majority of our customers are herders.
Customers from far
He said they get customers from as far as Voi, Taita Taveta, Tana River and other areas where livestock farmers keep their herds in ranches.
He also explained that livestock keepers preferred their products for protection and often used the knives to trim their animals’ hooves.
He urged for support in the form of modern equipment, such as welding machines, to enable them to create more valuable items for the communities in Garissa.
"We are still using the locally made tools that are part of our traditional inheritance, we need the support of both the county, national and non-governmental organisations for more training and provision of modern equipment," he appealed.
Fatuma Ahmed, who arrives with a damaged kettle, interrupts our conversation. She wants them to repair her shining kettle that was leaking as a result of a hole drilled by her little son.
Mowlid assesses the damage and assigns a member of the group, who immediately fixes it. He pours water into the kettle to confirm it is no longer leaking before handing it over to the client.
Another customer arrives looking for a sword. He picks one that catches his eye, draws it from its sheath, and carefully tests its sharpness from tip to edge.
"I need this sword. I never thought of buying one, but we are experiencing a challenge from machete-wielding teenagers who are robbing us of money and mobile phones. This will scare them away," he says to justify why he needs it.
Abdikadir Muhumed, a member of the Garissa Blacksmiths Association, is unique in his family as the only one who practices blacksmithing, having not inherited the skills from his father.
"I was inspired by some of the group members who inherited the skills from their parents. I was jobless for many years before learning these skills. I really appreciate and married and educated my children out of money I gained from the skills," he said.
He is willing to train his children to further reinforce the tradition of passing down the skills through generations.
Abdikadir urged leaders and the public to recognise and support blacksmiths as vital community members who provide indispensable services by crafting everyday essential items.
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