CONGO: Small scale manufacturers of cooking pots in Brazzaville have a thriving business although there may be hidden dangers

Record ID: 644486

  • Title: CONGO: Small scale manufacturers of cooking pots in Brazzaville have a thriving business although there may be hidden dangers
  • Date: 29th October 2004
  • Summary: BRAZZAVILLE, REPUBLIC OF CONGO (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS: ILO PABLO AND HELPERS MAKING COOKING POTS IN ILO'S BACKYARD/ ILO IS WEARING A RED SHIRT (13 SHOTS) CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) ILO PABLO, SAYING "We produce between 50 and 60 pots a day. Out of 100 women in Brazzaville, 80 use the cooking pots. Even in the houses of the big and rich guys, you will see that their wives only use these pots." VARIOUS: ILO WEIGHING SACK OF SCRAP METAL (3 SHOTS) VARIOUS: SHOTS OF PARTS THAT WILL BE MELTED INTO THE POTS (2 SHOTS) VARIOUS: ILO MAKING THE CAST OUT OF SOIL (7 SHOTS) SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) ILO PABLO, SAYING "Technically making a cast is a very easy. The only thing is that the cast is a bit delicate because I am using soil to make it. You can see yourself what I do to get the mould that I need. And now it's ready for the liquid metal to be poured in." VARIOUS: METAL BEING MELTED ON FIRE DUG INTO THE GROUND THAT SERVES AS FURNACE (2 SHOTS) VARIOUS: ILO USING 'BLOW MACHINE' TO GET THE FIRE GOING (3 SHOTS) CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) ILO PABLO, SAYING "We adapted this machine ourselves. We call it the blow machine because it allows us to blow air into the foundry's fire so that it burns better." VARIOUS: METAL IN POT ON FIRE AND THEN VARIOUS LIQUID METAL BEING POURED INTO CASTS (2 SHOTS) LV: HELPER SPRINKLES WATER ONTO CASTS VARIOUS: ILO BREAKS OF SURPLUS METAL AND SHAKES NEW POT FREE OF SOIL (2 SHOTS) LV/MLV: MARKET VENDORS BUYING ILO'S POTS (2 SHOTS) CU: PILES OF POTS LV/WS: ILO'S CUSTOMER ELYSEE CARRYING POTS ON HER HEAD VARIOUS: ELYSEE TAKES A BUS TO MIKALOU MARKET (4 SHOTS) VARIOUS: ELYSEE DISEMBARKS (2 SHOTS) GV: PILE OF POTS AT ELYSEE'S STALL CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) ELYSEE, SAYING "These pots sell better than any others. I always make a good profit with them." VARIOUS: OF LOCALLY-MADE COOKING POTS ON DISPLAY AT MIKALOU MARKET (6 SHOTS) MLV: INSIDE MARKET BUSTLING WITH VENDORS AND CLIENTS CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) ELYSEE, SAYING "I don't believe a word of it. If they did, everyone would be sick because everyone uses them. So people would have complained to the factories by now." CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) CUSTOMER MARIE TSIMBA, SAYING "I don't know a lot about that, but when you think about the cocktail of different things that they melt, it makes sense that some pots could cause some very serious problems. That's why I only buy my pots from factories where they use pure materials." VARIOUS: JOLIE PABLO PREPARING LUNCH (4 SHOTS) VARIOUS: ILO PABLO AND WORKERS EATING (4 SHOTS) CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) ILO PABLO "Our pots cause no illnesses, as some people like to say. Anyone who learns about aluminium in school knows very well that it doesn't affect your health." The parts from cars or planes that we use are made of aluminium, so they don't cause any side-effects." VARIOUS: ILO PABLO AND HIS HELPERS BUSY AT WORK (7 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 13th November 2004 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRAZZAVILLE, REPUBLIC OF CONGO
  • Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of
  • Topics: Business,Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVA3T3RVS8Z7UPDH1QBR3RIERFMD
  • Story Text: Informal industries -- small-scale manufacturers of cooking pots in Congo Brazzaville have a thriving business, but there might be hidden dangers.
    Every day, Ilo Pablo produces something useful out of virtually nothing.
    But to him, there's nothing special about what he does it's just a job like any other. With his eight helpers, Ilo makes cooking pots out of scrap metal in the courtyard outside his house in Congo Brazzaville.
    It's not an unusual profession in this city, where most of the cooking pots and utensils are locally made. But Ilo is fairly well-known all the same, because his is one of the biggest factories around.
    He says "We produce between 50 and 60 pots a day. Out of 100 women in Brazzaville, 80 use the cooking pots. Even in the houses of the big and rich guys, you will see that their wives only use these pots."
    The only raw materials that Ilo has to buy to make his pots are pieces of scrap metal, which are sold at around 30 US cents per kilo. Old metal sheets, car parts, even bits of crashed aeroplane -- Ilo finds the aluminium he needs in a wide variety of raw materials.
    To make his casts, Ilo uses the soil in his compound -- pounded into a wooden frame with some water to make it as compact as possible.
    A cooking pot is used to give the cast the right shape.
    "Technically making a cast is a very easy. The only thing is that the cast is a bit delicate because I am using soil to make it. You can see yourself what I do to get the mould that I need. And now it's ready for the liquid metal to be poured in", says Ilo.
    The furnace is a hole in the ground that is filled with charcoal. Chunks of metal are put into a fireproof pot and heated until they melt. To get the temperature up quicker, Ilo and his team have devised a special device.
    "We adapted this machine ourselves. We call it the blow machine because it allows us to blow air into the foundry's fire so that it burns better", says Ilo.
    The metal on the fire gets as hot as 500 degrees centigrade -- and once it's melted completely, it's ready to be poured into the mould.
    Then, Ilo pours cold water onto the brand new pots so that they harden and he can peel them out of their earth cast.
    The result is a gleaming cooking pot. For many market vendors who sell his pots at their stalls, Ilo has become the retailer of choice with his shiny and well-finished product.
    Elysee is one faithful customer who comes almost every day for a fresh supply of pots. She can only take as many as she can comfortably carry, because getting them to her stand at Mikalou market requires some walking and a bus ride. But for her, the long trek is worth it.
    "These pots sell better than any others. I always make a good profit with them", says Elysee.
    But recently producers and vendors of the scrap metal pots have had to deal with rumours that they can cause side effects: some say that they affect virility in men.
    We weren't able to find anyone prepared to provide proof of this to Africa Journal -- or to give a medical opinion. So instead, we found out what the people here at the market thought about the rumours.
    Elysee says "I don't believe a word of it. If they did, everyone would be sick because everyone uses them. So people would have complained to the factories by now."
    Customer Marie Tsimba says "I don't know a lot about that, but when you think about the cocktail of different things that they melt, it makes sense that some pots could cause some very serious problems. That's why I only buy my pots from factories where they use pure materials."
    Back at Ilo's house and factory, it's lunchtime. His wife Jolie cooks for the workers every day. Of course the cooking she uses is one of the factory's own - and she uses the same fire that they use to melt their metal.
    At lunch-time, everyone tucks into their meal -- and there's no concerns about the safety of the pots here.
    Ilo says "Our pots cause no illnesses, as some people like to say. Anyone who learns about aluminium in school knows very well that it doesn't affect your health." The parts from cars or planes that we use are made of aluminium, so they don't cause any side-effects."
    Ilo and his men are just a few of many who make up an informal business sector in Brazzaville which flourishes away from rules and regulations -- and still provides an important service to residents here.
    And like the women who sell their pots at market, they support their families with what they do -- making this something of a success story in a country where employment and a steady income are still far from easy to come by.
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