Bata

The shoemaker is a staple in the local artisan scene in Nigeria. At least it was when I was growing up. There was a shoemaker who lived a few blocks away that could for cheap, repair any shoe. He had a little hole-in-the-wall shop that smelled wonderful and was filled with all sorts of delightful, miniature tools.

The centerpiece of the brown store was the workbench that had a large wooden block from which somehow a metal “fist” protruded. The dimly lit store had its walls covered with leather from which the shoemaker would cut strips for working on whatever shoe was currently resting on the fist. If the leather weren't the right color, he'd darken it with various dyes and other chemicals until it matched then, using little nails, this wonderful little hammer and various punches and needles, he'd go to work fixing and repairing.

I call it a brown store because everything in it was brown or a shade of it. The only other color was black, including the shoemaker himself. He was the color of coal on a dark night, a feeling intensified by his spotless white eyes and teeth which dazzled when he laughed, and he laughed often.

I'd spend hours watching him work, holding nails arrayed in a line between his inward curled lips, the SMACK, SMACK of the wide-head tiny hammer banging the nail he held between his black fingers into the shoe. Two hits would send that nail into the sole and the next nail would appear as if by magic but really a deft movement of his hand to his mouth and back again. SMACK, SMACK!

His other mini-tools were hanging on bare nails pounded into the cement walls and what a variety! There were lots of needles, knives of all shapes although all small, and awls and other punching tools and reels of twine and other cords.

Here's a video I first saw on A Suitable Wardrobe showing a shoe being hand made. It results in some really good, really expensive shoes. Paradoxically, I wore custom made shoes in Nigeria which fit like a glove and lasted for years. I now wear machine-made pieces of shit that fall apart within a few months. Sigh.

Enjoy:

Oh by the way, I'll explain the title of the post. The shoes commercially available were made by a company called Bata, I believe it was Italian? Anyway, for school we'd buy the Bata Cortinas which were these clunky but extremely sturdy shoes that were only for school. We'd have to take them off after because they were so expensive. The ritual was to take these Cortinas to the shoemaker so he could fortify them or their soles (only) would quickly fall apart. The untreated soles were usually flapping underfoot within a few weeks if left untreated by Sule the Shoemaker.

We soon took to calling all shoes Batas.