This is part of a collection of stories spotlighting deeply rooted—yet sometimes less exposed—crafts hubs around the world and how to experience them. Read more here.
Matondoni was a sleepy, quiet village located in the middle of the Matondoni shipyards. Lamu You can also read about it here KenyaThe silhouette of a Dhow is common along the northern coast, with its skeletal frame looking like an ancient creature that washed up on shore. The old radio plays Bob Marley songs and hammers bang against nails. The air is heavy with sawdust and salt, and there’s a soft creaking sound as men work with the patience of those who have been doing this for centuries. Here, dhows continue to be made in the Swahili tradition: by hand, with memory and with Allah’s blessing.
The Indian Ocean was a major trading route for many centuries. These boats transported goods from East Africa, such as mangrove timber, ivory, and ivory. Oman The following are some examples of how to get started: IndiaThis trade transformed the Swahili coast into a meeting point of cultures and influences, bringing back porcelain, cloth, dates, etc. This trade transformed the Swahili coast into a meeting point of cultures and influences—a maritime thread linking continents through wind, wood, and water. Lamu’s enduring heritage is one of many reasons why it is listed on the UNESCO list. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Matondoni was one of only a few remaining traditional boatbuilding villages on the island.
In this charming village, located just 20 minutes away from Lamu Old Town by boat, life is still rural and artisanal. This village has a scattering of simple stone houses with thatched palm-roofs. These are located along narrow sandy pathways. Children play barefoot and donkeys run free. Behind the simple life here lies a rich history of craftsmanship. As the Swahili trade peaked along the coast in the 1930s & ’40s nearly all households were involved: as fundi (craftsman), sailors, or suppliers of mangrove wood.
Today, there are only a few yards in operation. Fiberglass boats—cheaper, lighter, and faster to build—have largely replaced traditional dhows. The time it takes to build a handmade vessel can take several months. A fiberglass boat is ready within a few days. Thousands of old boats lie abandoned on beaches, with sails swapped for motors. Still, some master builders choose memory over machine in a tender gesture of resistance.
Shelali Shee Mohammed—known locally as Fundi Shelali—has been building dhows for 45 years as part of a celebrated lineage of master builders that dates back to his great-great-grandfather. He says with pride, “Mashallah there are too many dhows for me to count.” “I leave my name on most of them—Fundi Shelali—like an artist signing their work.” But he is afraid that his craft will be lost. “Allah has only given me daughters. I have tried to train the young boys of my village but they are not interested. “They want easier jobs.”
Dhow construction has become more difficult due to the rising costs of materials and strict regulations on logging. Shelali recalls that, at the heights of his career in the 1980s timber was freely available. Now, the government must approve any tree cutting. The cost of obtaining hardwoods such as mvule and mahogany is prohibitive for builders.
Fortunately, the story of the dhow is now taking a different turn. In Nairobi, 500 km inland, Kenyan designer Roky Gambo—founder of Swahili Chic Interiors—is giving these vessels a new purpose. Roky comes from the Chonyi Tribe. This is one of the smaller Swahili Tribes that inhabit the Kenyan Coast and are known for their woodwork. Roky, who is determined to preserve the heritage of his tribe, rescues abandoned Dhows and turns their wood into furniture.
