I saw this set of sofas along the road in Benin City a while back. I stopped to admire and buy them. I really liked the design and the needlework. I was impressed.

A young man came out and politely told me that the sofas were imported. I told him I wanted local made and not imported. Then he started confessing that they made them at the back of the house right there. I asked him to take me to the workshop. He took me to the back of the house to see his workshop. But yes, these sofas were really produced there. But the boys lacked so much confidence in themselves.

Looking at how well made they were, I wondered how far they could go if they were encouraged to take these skills to the next level. They could be making parachutes for export.

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cc: lalasticlala and mynd44 cc: seun and maclatunji