CentroModa Canossa: In Togo to prove themselves
This adventure began in August 2021 with a letter arriving from Africa at CentroModa Canossa in Trento: the sender was the Director of the “Madre Agata Carelli” Catholic Technical and Professional Training Centre run by the Canossian Sisters in Lomé, Togo. The letter reads: ‘In recent years, we have seen continuous growth in enrolment in training courses in the field of cutting and sewing (…) Together, we could devise and implement training and refresher courses for teachers and our students through short training courses and/or student and teacher exchanges’; and so the team composed of ENAC and the Canossian Voica Foundation set to work. In fact, also in Togo, the Canossian Foundation VOICA is in turn engaged in the implementation of the ‘Training, Fashion, Future’ project, which will see the construction and equipping of four new classrooms to complete the training facilities of the ‘Madre Agata Carelli’ Centre.
The procedure is not the simplest: travelling to Africa means obtaining a passport, filling out immigration forms, obtaining a tourist visa and getting vaccinated for diseases that are not so familiar to us, such as yellow fever or malaria.
The mechanism kicked into gear and just one year later, thanks to the European project “Enacplus: Moving to Learn 3”, Maria, Rossella and Sofia – three recent graduates of CentroModa Canossa – and their teacher Antonella set off for Lomé to take part in a two-week educational workshop programme. The aim of the experience? To help enhance professional training in tailoring and fashion design in Togo and, at the same time, to learn sewing techniques and the characteristics of African fabrics.
The girls see this trip as a way to round off their schooling in the best possible way and set off with high expectations, so much so that in her application letter Maria writes: ‘I am applying for this programme because I have always dreamed of visiting Africa since I was a child. I am excited about the idea both because I would have the opportunity to see all the natural resources it is rich in and because my curiosity drives me to set off to discover a country that is completely different, in terms of customs and traditions, from the one where I was born and raised’. Rossella writes: ‘After years of restrictions due to the pandemic, this opportunity is important and truly appreciated. It will enrich my life personally, culturally and linguistically.’ Sofia adds: ‘Africa is a continent that has always aroused my curiosity, especially because it is completely different from the others. I am excited just thinking about leaving.’
On 22 July, after a long journey, the girls arrive in Lomé: the culture shock is intense, they do not speak French and initially struggle to make themselves understood by the 20 Togolese students with whom they will have to work to produce clothing. The girls did not give up and showed great maturity and adaptability to change. They managed to complete a fashion collection on schedule, carrying out all the required steps: reading the sketches, compiling technical data sheets and sewing the garments. The exchange was enriching and mutual, and our students learned some African sewing techniques and concluded their experience in Africa with a mini fashion show.
Here you can listen to the testimony of Maria, one of the three students who took part in the experience in Togo: https://www.facebook.com/canossaerasmus/videos/8908404085852007