Harvesting raffia palm leaflets for use in mat making

Standing in a raffia palm grove (gbandɛɛ lawee) Nafana mat weaver (deŋglɛ tinfun) Alexander Owusu stands as he pulls leaflets from a young frond (filiilee). The tip of the frond rests on the ground, its base angled upward with its mid-section resting against his right thigh as he pulls the leaflet toward the frond's base, stripping it from its rachis. As he works, he bundles leaflets in his hand, then drops them on the ground in a pile in front of him. Sabiye, Banda District, Ghana.