There’s one great quality about Ginette Anodin that has never dried up, even in the worst moments of her life: curiosity. For some time now, she has had an obsession that may seem unrealistic to the uninitiated, but is not when this determined woman gets to grips with it: making a sari from banana fiber. Dominique Bellier
The sari is one of the most luxurious garments in Mauritius, imported at great expense from India. The idea of making one here, from a fiber extracted from the trunks of banana trees, is brilliant. Creating wealth from what would otherwise be waste is already an activity of Entreprendre au féminin Océan Indien (EFOI Maurice). Ginette Anodin set up the association in 2002, at the request of the IOC and at the urging of her friends in the Mauritian Association of Women Entrepreneurs (AMFCE). “Because I’ve got a big mouth,” she laughs.
When she has an idea in mind, she knows how to give herself the means to achieve it, moving heaven and earth to obtain the support she needs to succeed. EFOI has the machines to extract the fiber and turn it into yarn for doilies, placemats, rugs, jewelry and other objects. And above all, the looms, donated by a company that was leaving for Madagascar, are waiting for their future users to be trained, to make the threads and fabrics for saris.
This tall, strong-willed woman is less active in project development, following a violent stroke, but she remains a driving force behind EFOI, the ti piman who comes up with the right ideas. “When banana fiber is well processed, it can be made into a thread comparable to silk,” she explains candidly. She spreads out the shimmering saris she’s brought back from India on the living room table. In the next room, the quilting and sewing machines of the company that made her a household name in 1993 take pride of place. Cosi Couette was a great success until the Covid crisis suddenly deprived it of its main clientele, hotels. At the same time, Ginette was working to promote women’s entrepreneurship, her concern being that women should be able to set up their own businesses at low cost. For example, she campaigned for the cultivation and promotion of vetiver. “Vetiver doesn’t require expensive equipment and can be used to make lots of things: insoles for healthy feet, herbal teas full of virtues, excellent moth repellents, sweet-smelling hats and basketry.” This plant comes from the Dubreuil integrated farm, the latest site created by EFOI, where several projects are already at work or in gestation: banana flour, essential oils and what we don’t know yet…
