Frank making a living from Omi Tapa sales

By GEORGINA KOREI
FOURTY-five-year old Frank Warure from Gorobuna village in Ijvitari, Northern, has been selling his Omi tapa to earn a living in the city.
Like most people who operate small businesses to make ends meet, Frank has been printing and selling the tapa for almost three years.
“Apart from the tapa designs that is well-known, I have decided to print the rare tapa designs and sell in the market as they have their own meanings,” he said.
He sells the Omi tapa for between K150 and K500 depending on the sizes.
“I make good money when it is the tapa season, when the demand is high, especially during cultural ceremonies.”
Most of the new designs he focuses his print on are from inland Afore.
“They were different prints like the mountain, fire, rivers running through the valley, spider web and more which represents the different tribes and clans that people come from,” he said.
The Omi tapa is made from a plant naturally growing in the forest.
“People inland, at the back of Mt Lemington, use these special tapa designs to wear on special cultural occasions in the village,” he said.
It was in early 2000 that the rare tapa arrived in the city markets. “I’m trying to print the designs and selling them to preserve the culture for the future generation so that it does no die,” he said.
Warure is married with five children and helps his sister to print the Omi tapa designs. He sells only on Saturdays to make extra money for his family.
“I left my job in one of the hotels so my sister asked me to print the design and do sales,” he said.