Lula decides to offer a messob* to her friend as a gift in honor of their friendship. She asks her mother if it is a good idea and her mother agrees. She looks at the messob basket made by her mother and is very excited. Lula knows how to bake and also how to make traditional baskets and she takes some weaving tools from her mother’s kit box for that. The next day Lula looks for palms and straw to weave the traditional basket and her mother permits her to use some of the straw she had kept behind the house. After making the base of the basket, she looks at her mother’s old design which is very beautiful to her but lacks a colorful and classy touch and thus continues to weave the basket in her own style. She adds colorful threads and creates beautiful patterns that also decorate the sides of the basket. She finishes the basket after several days and also makes a beautiful lid for it. Her mother is amazed at her incredible weaving talent. Later that day, Lula visits her friend and offers her the beautiful messob basket and her friend is very happy.

* A round basket traditionally hand-woven with straws and palms.

Basket-weaving is an age-old and common tradition in many African cultures and other places in the world. In Africa, baskets are hand-woven with different types of traditional materials, and serve different purposes, including serving food, shopping, preserving special items, decorative ornaments etc. Weaving was therefore an art that was appreciated especially when the weaver could produce beautiful and rare patterns in different shapes and sizes. It was mostly practiced by women, who handed down the skill from generation to generation. 

In the above story, the messob is used as a symbol of friendship as Lula offers it to her best friend. 

In all, the story underscores the need to preserve traditional artifacts and skills in crafts as Lula acquires the skill from her mother and produces even more beautiful and complex designs. The idea of friendship is also emphasized as Lula keeps her relationship with her friend strong by offering her a messob as a gift. This translates into the idea that long-lasting and strong relationships of friendship are cultivated and nurtured during adolescent years. The story therefore encourages young adults to value friendship bonds as these may serve as a guarantee to their solidarity in their adult years.

Kloman, Harry, Mesob across America: Ethiopian Food in the USA, Pittsburg: University of Pittsburg Press, 2010.

Origin: Ethiopia.