Tags
African Art, African Culture, African pride, African Shoes, Akala, Culture, Growing up in Africa, Growing Up in Kenya, Life, Old Shoes, Tire shoes
“We wear our hearts on our soles. Shoes are the best indicator of how people are feeling!”
Shoes have a story to tell. The most heartwarming tales are told, not by that new, frequently-changed pair, but by that single beloved pair that is worn day-in-day-out. It is a story of long thirsty walks, of scorching sweaty days; it is a story of pain, hunger and the struggle to survive. Above all, that rugged shoe is still the beacon of hope – that if you survive this day, with the shoe still on that weary blistered foot, there will be a brighter day. The story of hope is the story of humanity – the very essence of life.
Growing up, shoes were a luxury. You either owned none at all or If you were lucky, you owned a pair extra-large shoe (probably five sizes larger) that you were to wear as you grew. The trick was to add papers from the front for them to fit! The shoes were to be worn on specific occasions like Church, Weddings, Easter, Christmas and once in a while to school.
The most common shoes were the plastic shoes aka Sandak – I am not sure today’s children would survive a day in these shoes…This shoe got unbearable as the temperature increased!
Then there was the “thousand-milers” aka Akala-the ultimate African epic. Quite “trendy” and suitable for our African terrain
If you owned it, your feet were safe at least for a very long time…
The shoe was/is made out of nothing but drab old tires and fixed with nails thus cannot easily tear. In Kenya, hand-crafted akala sandals are made and sold in street markets. The tire treads are excellent for the soles of the shoes and durable rubber is a humane replacement for animal hide material.
Although the akala shoes originated from the Maasai herders who have worn them over the years to protect their feet from thorns,(anyone who has grazed cattle in the African Savannah would testify to the numerous species of thorns in existence ranging from the huge whistling thorn to the micro prickles), akala is now worn anywhere and by anyone and everyone who finds it appealing and comfortable. In essence, the African tire footwear was an innovation born out of necessity and now Akala is everyone’s favorite and even considered an African objet d’art.
In Kenya, clever and eco-minded niche entrepreneurs are turning one of the society’s most ubiquitous and difficult-to-dispose-of waste products into something beautiful!
I believe that the African foot is magically different and special; perhaps the reason why we struggle to find shoes that are anatomically best-fit.
In this modern era, shoes can speak of someone’s status quo; gender (usually), ethnicity, religion, profession, and politics affiliation!
Every foot has a story, and every shoe tells a story-we spend most of our walking lives in shoes, and from them we may learn something about our culture, our history, and ourselves. My shoe has a story, a sad story of painful struggles. But above all, the same shoe has seen me through to greater heights!
Does your shoe tell a story? What’s the story? Is it a painful story or a beautiful one? Share with us in the comment section 🙂
Lots of Love
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