The "Akala" sandal as a tourist attraction attire.

  

Date Posted: 3/11/2012 10:10:28 AM

Posted By: SimonMburu  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 838

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The "Akala" sandal is an African sandal made from old car tires and small nails. A long time ago the sandals were of one kind and they were famous for the Maasai community and other pastoral communities. Other communities in the rural areas of Kenya started to embrace the sandals due to their durability and ability to withstand harsh weather conditions. Nowadays the design of the sandals has radically changed and you can be able to spot different designs in the market today.

Urban youth have also been captured by the great looks of these sandals and it is now like a fashion to own a pair or two, to soup up the commodity, the designers have also come up with designs for both men and women making it more attractive. Compared with the initial Maasai sandals, the current ones have been customized with beads, leather stripes and other beautifying techniques like painting. A pair of these sandals can cost a small amount of between Ksh. 300 to 700 in any market across Kenya, apart from being pocket friendly they are very durable unlike modern rubber sandals.

The industry was initially renown to the Kamba people but nowadays it is possible to come across people from other communities in this industry. We can actually say that the industry has created employment to many jobless youth across the country, in a few years time the "Akala" sandal will be an export commodity.

Let's now come to tourism, the sandals are like a symbol of our national culture and heritage with the Maasai people being the first ones to wear the sandals, and they have been a source of tourist attraction for years and it will be justified to say that the sandals are a big attraction to the tourists in relation

to the Maasai people. Last year the Maasai market recorded a very big sale of the sandals with other traditional artifacts such as necklaces and other clothing. It is quite good to come across a tourist negotiating the price of a pair in a local market, also making you feel proud of our culture.

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