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The Kisumu Soapstone Craft Stalls
Tabaka, a small town near Kisii, Kenya, is known for its soapstone quarries. Kisumu, about a five hour ride from Kisii on bad roads in even worse transport, is the closest big town, and is one of the largest sales outlets for finished soapstone products. The soapstone is mined by people using hoes, pick axes, shovels, iron rods, and pangas, a tool that looks like a sword. It is then carved into bowls, vases, chess sets, boxes, and every functional and decorative item imaginable. The young men at the Kisumu Craft stalls finish the products for sales. The stone is either polished and sold in its natural state or painted brilliant colors. Using switchblades, the young men carve animal, geometric, floral, and people designs into the soft stone. The carvers say that their ancestors learned the art of carving soapstone from the Indian laborers who the British brought in the 1940's to build the railroad from the Kenyan Coast to Uganda. |
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