Pagne has been one of my favorite things about living in Niger. Not a day goes by when you don’t see this colorful, whimsical cloth. Almost every market in Niamey has a pagne section where people go to buy their favorite motifs.They take the cloth to tailors who fashion shirts, dresses, pants, and skirts to their customers’ specifications. According to my friend, some pagne patterns have been around for a very long time, while others are new designs for modern tastes. Much of the pagne you see men and women wearing comes from Benin and Togo. However, Niamey has its own textile factory that produces custom pagne for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and festivals. Anyone can bring a design or a photo to turn into commemorative pagne.
106 Meters from the Road 