With a theme deliberately designed to promote locally made products, the recently concluded GCCI organised international trade fair witnessed strengthening of efforts to bolstering the local manufacturers.
From that of The Gambia’s vice president Isatou Njie Saidy to The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) boss, Almamy Fanding Taal, the opening remarks of the biennial event were bias towards made-in- The Gambia. This is despite the presence of international participants.
But the two week-long showcasing of products various dealers had on offer has left dealers in locally made tie and dye engulfed with frustration in their D7,000 dalasi acquired stalls.
Jainaba Drammeh, 25, was one of the exhibitors of locally made tie and dye at the fair grounds, the Independence Stadium in Bakau.  
“Some people came here and asked whether I was selling a Mali-made tie dye,” she told The Daily News.
Gambian tie- dye and batiks locally called ‘chube’ are extravagant, rich in different shades of colour and are tailored into men’s Kaftans, women’s warambas, shirts, ladies blouses,  as well as bed sheets, curtains and tablecloths.
Many are made by local women who produce the finished fabrics from their own homes using hot dye, oil drums and various techniques to produce abstract designs as well as animals, natural objects and people.
However, compared to the Mali-made ones, The Gambia-made Tie and dye are believed to be of lower quality. But Madam Drammeh disagreed. She hates it when people enter into her stall at the fair and asked: “Is this Malian chube? Is this Ganila?”
A bitterness she shared with many other dealers in locally-made tie and dye, she decried that most Gambians prefer to buy Mali-made tie and dye, even though the local ones are of equally, if not better quality.
Waving her hands in the air, she quizzed: “What is the Malian chube?  We too can do better in this Gambia.”
Pointing at the tie and dye she had on offer at the fair, she added: “this is a quality ‘chube.’ I made it.”
Madam Drammeh alleged that some traders dealing in these Mali-made chubes are now taking advantage of the myth surrounding The Gambia-made vs Mali-made tie and dye.
“Some dealers now buy Tie and dye from us, make it nicely and sell it as ‘Ganila’,” she said, referring to the latest tie and dye brand.
“This is what many people do not understand; there is a secret.  We can make quality chubes up to the Malian standard or even better.  Let people buy pure Gambian chubes and compare them to some of the so-called Ganilas, they will see the difference.”  
 Madam Drammeh accused that some traders now buy the D300 chubes, which is among the lowest of quality local Chubes, package it and sell it for D500 under the guise that it is a second quality ‘Ganila’.  
She alleged further: “And they will buy the other type for D500 or D600 from us, go and sell it for D2, 000 or more and tell the people that it is Ganila.  They are fooling people. Most of the people are not aware of that.”
Ebrima Keita, a Gambian based Malian born, who was exhibiting Mali-made chube including Ganila at the fair would not accept claims that The Gambia made tie and dye are of similar quality to that of the Mali-made ones.
“My people back home send pure Mali-made chubes and Ganila for me to sell them.  Their quality cannot be compared to that of The Gambia-made ones.”
He added: “I also make chubes here, but I sell those ones at the prices of the local ones and sell the ones from Mali at a higher price because they are of higher quality. I sell Ganila five meters for D3, 500 and four meters for D3, 000 but there is a discount.”
Jainaba and Ebrima were exhibiting from different stalls at the trade fair, although they were divided on the issue of the tie and dye, they both lamented there was low sales at the fair.
However, overall the trade fair was a relative success. So is the take of Mr Pansaw Nyassi, business development officer, GCCI.
 “If you look at it holistically you can say it is successful because you have to do a broad analysis; look at the positive comments and the negative comments and weigh them.  In that way, through our analysis we have more positive comments than negative comments. So the trade fair is a success.”