ash

Indigo, ash and time mark Nigeria’s centuries-old dye pits

KANO, Nigeria — A little indigo, a handful of ash and time. The dye pits in Nigeria’s ancient northern city of Kano are said to be the last ones of their kind after five centuries of existence.

Many pits at Kofar Mata appear to be abandoned as the sons who inherit the tradition decide to pursue government jobs or other business instead, forgetting the skills passed down through generations. The men who remain, squatting over the pits with sturdy gloves and endless patience, produce the intensely blue fabrics that are internationally renowned.

The homespun cloth, hung to dry on razor wire topping the walls around the pits, ranges from sky blue to darkest night and comes in romantically named designs: moon and shadow, moon and star, three baskets (standing for wealth, education and power).

The dye pits, founded in 1498, attracted travelers and traders from across the vast Sahel region to the Kano emirate, helping to make the city one of the most prosperous in West Africa at the time. The fabrics are still used today by the nomadic, well-wrapped ethnic Tuareg, whose skin often takes on a blueish tinge from the dye that hasn’t been “fixed.”

The preparation of the indigo dye takes up to a pungent month, then fabric is soaked for up to several hours for the darkest hues. The men periodically lift the fabric from the pits to drip, saying the process needs to breathe. A dash of potassium holds the color in.

The indigo dye pits use no chemicals, 50-year-old Lawan Ismailu explained.

He dipped his fingers into the blue-tinged foam and licked them, then smiled. “Smells like chicken,” he said. Indigo also makes a good medicine, he asserted.

Some craftsmen grumble about competition from Chinese fabrics that have entered the markets and sell for roughly half the price, saying they are lower quality and quickly fade.

“God make Buhari to help us,” said one artisan, Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim, who urged Nigeria’s president to impose high tariffs on imported textiles, similar to the ones his administration has put in place for imported rice to promote local production. “Better our own,” Ibrahim said.

Buhari, who seeks a second term in Saturday’s election, has pointed to the success of the tariffs as he appeals to the scores of millions of Nigerians living in extreme poverty. But some say it is too little, and too slowly.

Ibrahim’s colleague Ismailu acknowledged that the “money has gone down” in their shrinking industry, lamenting that “too much technology” is used by upstart textile competitors.

The effects are felt beyond the dye pits, said Idayat Hassan, director of the Center for Democracy and Development in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. “This is eroding culture. It’s taking away market and it’s increased unemployment in some sectors.”

Still, the indigo cloth continues to attract the rich and royal from the Kano emirate who have a taste for the past.

For those seeking something flashier than the mallet-pounded homemade fabrics, a separate area in the back is for dyeing finer cloth from packages stamped “Made in Germany” or Britain, at prices of 25,000 naira ($69), which is purchased by Nigeria’s so-called “big men.”

Although many of the abandoned traditional pits appeared to be choked with debris, Ismailu said they are maintained in case of a revival: “We take care.”

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Associated Press video journalist Khaled Kazziha in Abuja, Nigeria contributed.

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Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Fly Ash Market to Surpass US$ 5 Billion by 2024

Feb 20, 2019 (Heraldkeeper via COMTEX) -- New York, February 21, 2019: Global Fly Ash Market is segmented based on the type as Class F and Class C. Based on application it covers Portland Cement & Concrete, Bricks & Blocks, Road Construction, Agriculture and Others. Global Fly Ash Market report covers various regions including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World. The regional Fly Ash Market is further bifurcated for major countries including U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, China, India, Japan, Brazil, South Africa and others.

The report scope includes market analysis on regional as well as country level. The report also provides competitive landscape covering company market shares with detailed profiling for major revenue contributing companies.

The Fly Ash Market is expected to exceed more than US$ 5 Billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 6%. Fly ash may be a fine powder substance that may be a by-product of electrical generation power plants made by burning of powdered coal. fly ash contains aluminous and silicious material that forms cement within the presence of water. ash once mixed with lime and water forms a compound similar to Portland cement. Coal discharged power station produces fly ash that provides a superb prime material utilized in embedded cement, mosaic tiles and hollow blocks.

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Report scope:

The global Fly Ash Market report covers detailed study with the underlying influencing factors for the variations in the industry growth trends.

The report covers a detailed competitive outlook including the market share and company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Boral Ltd., Cemex S.A.B. De C.V., LafargeHolcim Ltd.., Waste Management, Inc., Charah, LLC, Separation Technologies LLC. (A subsidiary of Titan America LLC), and Cement Australia Pty Limited.

In a variety of rising economies, and significantly in BRICS nations, the building and constructing trade is booming on the rear of speedy urbanization. For the development trade, cement is of optimum importance, and therefore the vendors are perpetually trying to find improved versions of it so as to build robust skyscrapers and alternative concrete structures. Fly ash, that may be a by-product of coal-fired wattage plants, has emerged as a premium substitute for hydraulic cement for the building and construction industry. when utilized in concrete, fly ash improves the strength, simple pumping concrete, and segregation.

Competitive Rivalry

Global Fly Ash Market share consists of several players including Boral Ltd., Cemex S.A.B. De C.V., LafargeHolcim Ltd.., Waste Management, Inc., Charah, LLC, Separation Technologies LLC. (A subsidiary of Titan America LLC), and Cement Australia Pty Limited.

The report covers:

Global Fly Ash Market estimates & forecast from 2015 to 2024, with CAGR for 2018-2024. Comparative market size analysis for 2017 & 2024, with actual data for 2017, estimates for 2018 and forecast from 2019 to 2024 Global Fly Ash Market trends, with detailed analysis on consumer trends & manufacturer trends Overview on supply analysis covering trends across raw material suppliers, technology providers and distributors Key areas of investments identifying market opportunities and challenges in forecast timeframe Competitive analysis of the industry players along with the overview on strategic management Comprehensive company profiles of the major industry players Reasons to Buy this Report:

Gain comprehensive insights on the industry trends Identify industry opportunities and key growth segments Obtain complete market study on the Fly Ash Market Facilitate strategy planning for your company based on the industry dynamics Evaluate your competitor's business segments and portfolios The Fly Ash Market has been segmented as below:

The Fly Ash Market is segmented on the basis of Type, Application Type and Region Analysis. By Type market is segmented on the basis of Class F and Class C. By Applicationmarket is segmented on the basis ofPortland Cement & Concrete, Bricks & Blocks, Road Construction, Agriculture and Others. By RegionAnalysismarket is segmented on the basis ofNorth America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of World.

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Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

1.1. Key Points 1.2. Report Description 1.3. Markets Covered 1.4. Stakeholders

2. Research Methodology

3. Executive Summary

4. Market Overview 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Drivers 4.3. Restraints 4.4. Opportunities 4.5. Challenges

5. Fly Ash Market, By Type

6. Fly Ash Market, By Application

7. Competitive Landscape

8. Company Profile 8.1. Boral Limited 8.1.1. Company Overview 8.1.2. Product/Service Landscape 8.1.3. Financial Overview 8.1.4. Recent Developments 8.2. Charah Solutions 8.2.1. Company Overview 8.2.2. Product/Service Landscape 8.2.3. Financial Overview 8.2.4. Recent Developments 8.3. Cemex 8.3.1. Company Overview 8.3.2. Product/Service Landscape 8.3.3. Financial Overview 8.3.4. Recent Developments 8.4. Lafarge North America Inc. 8.4.1. Company Overview 8.4.2. Product/Service Landscape 8.4.3. Financial Overview 8.4.4. Recent Developments 8.5. Flyashdirect 8.5.1. Company Overview 8.5.2. Product/Service Landscape 8.5.3. Financial Overview 8.5.4. Recent Developments 8.6. Separation Technologies LLC 8.6.1. Company Overview 8.6.2. Product/Service Landscape 8.6.3. Financial Overview 8.6.4. Recent Developments 8.7. Salt River Materials Group 8.7.1. Company Overview 8.7.2. Product/Service Landscape 8.7.3. Financial Overview 8.7.4. Recent Developments 8.8. Ashtech (India) Pvt. Ltd. 8.8.1. Company Overview 8.8.2. Product/Service Landscape 8.8.3. Financial Overview 8.8.4. Recent Developments

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Probe into woman's 'unexplained' death in Mountain Ash

Police are treating the death of a woman whose body was found on land near a wooded area in Rhondda Cynon Taff as unexplained.

Officers were called to a site near the Duffryn Street, Mountain Ash, at about 13:00 GMT on Tuesday.

No details have been released about the woman but the circumstances surrounding her death are being investigated.

South Wales Police has appealed for anyone who has any information about what happened to call 101.