A Swan is a life-time investment. In fact, it’s a multi-generational investment. It’s a rip off of the classic treadle-powered Singer sewing machine of the late 19th century. As soon as the Singer lost its patent, the Swan company in China started mass-producing them and selling throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Every bit like the Singer but without the hefty brand-name price. Without a motor and with an abundance of spare parts in Africa, a Swan will outlast its owner.
For Benitah Prossy the Swan is her livelihood. The seamstress from Entebbe, Uganda wheels out her Swan in the shade of some banana plants and foot powers it into dresses, aprons, shirts and bags which she sells to those who pass her front yard on their way to the restaurants on the shore of Lake Victoria.
My mate, Scott Christiansen, and I are on assignment in Uganda and took a day off at Lake Victoria. We stopped to admire a huge jackfruit tree when a green dress on a mannikin caught my eye. As I approached a woman came and said if we came back later we’d see a lot more clothes. We did and we did indeed see a lot more dresses and we got to meet her daughter, Benitah, who was setting up her workshop in the shade. Benitah kept pulling out items she had sewn and explained she purchased quality fabric from Nigeria and Ghana.
Scott and I did our part to support the local economy and selected an assortment of Benitah’s work. We asked for a volume discount but Benitah wouldn’t budge much with her prices. We didn’t fuss. We were happy to support someone with the entrepreneurial foresight to put her talents to use.
