Introduction of Indigenoues Tanned Leather in The
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INTRODUCTION OF INDIGENOUES TANNED LEATHER IN THE PRODUCTION OF SCHOOL SANDALS By Veronica Gyebi-Agyapong, B.A. (Integrated Rural Art and Industry) Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY IN INTEGRATED ART (Leather Technology) Faculty of Art College of Art and Built Environment August, 2015 © 2015, Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own study towards the Master of Philosophy in Integrated Art (Leather Technology) degree and that, it covers no material previously published by any other person, nor material which has been accepted for the award of any degree of any university, with the exception of where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. Veronica Gyebi-Agyapong ----------------------------- ---------------------- (PG9273813) Signature Date (Student’s Name & ID No.) Certified by: Dr. John Osei Bobie Boahin ----------------------------- ---------------------- (Supervisor’s Name) Signature Date Certified by: Dr. John Osei Bobie Boahin ----------------------------- ---------------------- (Head of Department’s Name) Signature Date ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My first and foremost sincere gratitude goes to the Almighty God for the knowledge, strength, insight and health he bestowed on me throughout the period in which this project was done and the opportunity to contribute to knowledge. I appreciate the inspirations and encouragement from my supervisor, Dr. John Osei Bobie Boahin for his criticisms, guidance and direction. I have really benefited from his fatherly manners, with listening ears, patience and accessible personality. To all the lecturers of the Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry; I appreciate all that you have done. God bless you. Special thanks to my family for their financial support, especially elder Eric Appiah, I am very grateful brother. To my children, Agyei, Omane and Nana Kwame I say thanks for the emotional support. iii ABSTRACT Sandals consist of a sole with a strap across the vamp and a belt passes round the heel to buckle at one side of the foot. Most Senior High Schools in Ghana have introduced the compulsory use of specific type of footwear that demonstrates uniformity in the schools, specifically play deck for girls, as the ‘Achimota’ sandals was used in the early 196os. Free school sandals are also produced for students at the basic level by the Government of Ghana that has provided a huge market for footwear producers in Ghana. However, the Footwear industry in Ghana is plagued by high cost of raw materials which are mostly imported. Some producers also resort to the use of inferior materials. This research investigates the potentials of indigenous tanned leather that makes it suitable for the production of school sandals for use by Senior High Schools in Ghana. Unstructured interviews were conducted to ascertain why footwear producers are not using the indigenous tanned leathers in the production of school sandals. Exploratory research was used to modify the situation of the indigenous tanned leathers to make them suitable for the production of school sandals. Experimental research design was adopted by the researcher in the production of school sandals. It was found out that, Pigmented Leathers, Aniline Leathers and Synthetic Leathers are currently used in the production of school sandals. The indigenous tanned leather when taken through the appropriate processes like the secondary treatment and improvement of its flexibility can be used in the production of school sandals. It is therefore recommended that, Tanners improve the quantity of the Chemicals (Acacia nilotica) in their tannins to improve the flexibility of the hides for the production of school sandals. Footwear producers on the other hand could patiently go through the Secondary Treatment of Leather before production to increase the tensile strength and emit the bad odour. The government of Ghana can iv encourage the use of local raw materials for the production of schools sandals. This can be done by making it a requirement for the contractors producing the school sandals for Basic School children to use the indigenous tanned leather. These will help reduce the importations of the Chrome Tanned Leathers and the use of Synthetic Leather in the production of school sandals. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ..................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... x LIST OF PLATES .................................................................................................. xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1 1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background to the Study ...................................................................................... 1 1.3 Philosophical Foundation of the Study ................................................................. 6 1.4 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................... 6 1.5 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................ 8 1.6 Specific Objectives .............................................................................................. 8 1.7 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 8 1.8 Importance of the Study ....................................................................................... 9 1.9 Delimitation ......................................................................................................... 9 1.10 Limitations......................................................................................................... 9 1.11 Definition of Items ............................................................................................. 9 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ............................ 11 2.1 Overview ........................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Concept of Leather in the Production of Sandals ................................................ 11 2.3 History of Leather .............................................................................................. 13 2.4 Sources and Types of Leather ............................................................................ 15 2.5 Properties of Leather .......................................................................................... 17 vi 2.6 Uses of Leather .................................................................................................. 19 2.7 Concept of Tanning Techniques in Leather ........................................................ 20 2.8 Types and Grades of Leather.............................................................................. 21 2.9 Concept of Leather Sandals................................................................................ 23 2.10 History of Tanned Leather Sandal .................................................................... 24 2.11 Biblical History of Leather Sandals .................................................................. 25 2.12 Sandals in the Romans Empire ......................................................................... 26 2.13 History of African Sandals ............................................................................... 35 2.14 Potential Leather for Sandals Production .......................................................... 39 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ............................................................. 43 3.1 Overview ........................................................................................................... 43 3.2 Research Design ................................................................................................ 43 3.3 Exploratory Research ......................................................................................... 43 3.4 Observational Research...................................................................................... 44 3.5 Experimental Design Procedure ......................................................................... 44 3.6 Data Collection Method ..................................................................................... 44 3.7 Library Research................................................................................................ 45 3.8 Population for the Study .................................................................................... 46 3.9 Sampling Frame ................................................................................................. 46 3.10 Sampling Technique ........................................................................................ 46 3.11 Data Analysis..................................................................................................