T/C
00:18 This is the beach where the flip-flops come at the end of their flip-flop trip.
But where does a flip flop trip begin?
00:27 The floor of a flip-flop factory?
On the shelf of a flip-flop shop?
Or the foot of a flip-flop fan?
00:36 And what snaps the strap of each flip-flop
that finds its flip-flop fate?
00:41 A flip too far,
A flop too fast,
Or a slip that flapped it back?
00:49 And what does the sea say
when she sees another flip-flop fall?
‘Oh flip-flop and flotsam fair and foul, I’ll freely float you all…?’
01:00 But is a flip-flop trip really finished,
once the waves wash them up on the shore?
Or could the beachcombers bring them back to life…
Turning flotsam into something worth much more?
01:23 Flip-Flop trips are beginning the world over, in huge numbers every day.
And nowhere are they more prolific than here in East Africa, where the coastal city of Mombasa alone is the origin of 20 million pairs a year.
01:57 The production process is simple, but requires many hands.
02:04 Originally the ancient footwear was made of wood, but now strong synthetic rubber meets the need.
02:21 In various sizes, one by one, the soles are stamped out, each with three holes for the straps.
02:54 Bagging up……
02:58 sacking up …..
03:00 …and stacking up.
Ready for action, they take to the streets where the demand is high, but the supply is always a step ahead.
The market is flooded with choice and the styles change endlessly as the brands compete for a foothold in the industry.
03:27 Some even design their own home-brands – using old car tyres they create the ultimate road-worthy footwear.
03:38 But whatever the style, the business is big… and Mombasa is just the beginning.
Eighty thousand pairs leave the town each day, heading all over the African continent…
03:53 But there’s one particular place where flip-flops really make their mark.
03:59 Lamu.
04:03 A small island of Swahili people whose vibrant culture grew from the African and Arabian trading legacy a thousand years ago.
04:13 The traditional sailing dhows are still central to their way of life, and much time is spent at the waters edge.
04:26 Nothing could suit the seafarers better than this cheap, cheerful and amphibious footwear.
04:39 Known here as Pata-patas, they are a basic necessity for all and have become an integral part of Swahili dress.
04:53 Without any cars on the island, the Lamu feet are hard working (PAUSE)
and at market time, the Pata-Patas are out in full swing.
05:11 Worn by all ages… slipping into all sizes… they resound through-out the town.
05:26 The meandering route to Madrasa, the Islamic school, is a well-trodden one, but in keeping with Swahili culture, the footwear seldom gets beyond the doorstep.
Whilst the children learn the Koran, their Flip-Flops, caste aside, lie in wait.
05:54 Five times a day from mosques all over town, the call to prayer rings out bringing all Muslim men together.
06:09 Well-accustomed to the routine the Flip Flops know their place.
06:29 Being left somewhere particular avoids getting lost in the crowd.
06:37 Older ones are moulded to the shape of the feet they wear, the colours and patterns a measure of the weight they bear.
06:50 Back on the streets, and each on a journey of their own;
familiar paths, though no two souls are the same.
07:26 Worn in…worn out… and in need of some attention,
they go to a place where at last, they are welcomed beyond the doorstep.
07:45 Lamu cobblers seldom make shoes, but mend them, and Flip-Flop maintenance has become their speciality.
08:05 Well cared for by the cobblers, these will all walk again (PAUSE)
but others, beyond repair, lie rejected with the rest of Lamu litter.
08:27 Each May a change in the Monsoon winds bring stormy weather to Lamu…
08:39 … and all the year’s rain falls in a just a few weeks.
08:54 The downpours flush the town clean, and the cast-offs make their break.
09:11 Foot-loose and fancy-free….they’re headed for the open sea…
09:32 Much of the town’s rubbish ends up in the sea…. And flip-flops are no exception.
Bouyant and resilient, they are swept along by the powerful ocean currents.
There is no telling how long their journey will be, or where it will take them, as they join the fleet of flotsam…. Flip-Flotsam.
10:02 And so begins their voyage in this mysterious new world…
10:58 Skimming the surface, and riding the waves, they brush shoulders with other ocean wanderers, of all shapes and sizes.
11:40 For the pelagic drifters the journey is effortless (PAUSE) but for a tiring long distance swimmer (PAUSE)
what better find than this?
12:08 Sea borne for years, the flotsam is put to good use, and many an ocean hitch-hiker gets on board.
12:22 Anchored firmly to the straps and reliant on their seaworthy host, this colony of Goose Barnacles feeds from the nutrient-rich surface waters.
12:39 Adopting marine fashions they can put on quite a display.
13:02 For some this may be a trip to far-off lands. (PAUSE)
For others, eventual integration into the ocean’s endlessness.
13:15 But along the remote northern coast of Kenya, converging oceanic currents bring trash ashore with tidal regularity.
13:50 When the wind is strong, and the tide is high, the coastal release valves kick in…
14:02 and all that floats…flies.
14:29 Flung back onto dry land, exposed to the scorching African sun, they begin to curl… and crumble… and sitting out the seasons they blend into the surroundings.
14:53 For these Noddy Terns roosting on this craggy coral coastline, finding a comfortable perch can be difficult.
15:11 Though amidst the crowd, someone has found a solution.
15:32 But it’s in the bays and along the beaches that most of the litter comes ashore. (PAUSE)
The resident ghost crabs scavenge for nutritious arrivals, dodging the coastal clutter, which at every tide,
clearly leaves its mark.
15:48 Day after day, high-tide after high-tide, the debris chokes the shoreline, and the supplies will just keep coming.
16:05 On this long island beach, the tide has offered up something a little more interesting. The well-traveled Goose Barnacles have been left high and dry, and the beach-combers know a good thing when they see it.
17:07 Whilst the barnacles’ protective shells served them well at sea, they are no defence from the powerful claws of ghost crabs.
17:33 But the crabs are not the only beach-combers (PAUSE)
and in these hands, a whole new colourful adventure lies ahead.
17:48 These are the Bajuni People of Kiwayu island. Their lives are finely tuned to the cycles of the moon and the ocean.
After every high tide they search the flotsam for good firewood and other useful pickings.
And of late, this includes Flip Flops too.
18:20 Gathered, however ragged, their full potential still untapped.
18:54 Kiwayu island has long been home to these descendants of sea-faring Arabs and wandering Somalis, drawn here by the freshwater so scarce on this coastline.
(PAUSE)
Now part of the Kiunga Marine Reserve, remote and unspoilt, this hardy community live off the land and sea.
(PAUSE)
While most men fish or tend livestock, women are making-do with flip- flops.
19:33 With no electricity on the island the driftwood fuels their stoves, whilst the flip-flops fuel a new cottage industry.
19:50 In the midst of this closely knit village of 500 people, skilled hands are bringing about change.
(PAUSE)
The flotsam is free, the tools are cheap, and the women, mostly house- bound with little means of earning a living, are resourceful and productive. (PAUSE)
Amidst their daily jobs more and more of them are fashioning the rubber as part of a days work.
20:25 The pata-pata’s, now elevated from cast-offs to a valued resource, get to show their true colours once more.
20:44 Inspired by their rich marine environment, the islanders transform the flotsam into new and vibrant life forms.
20:59 Initially the carvings were pieced together with Acacia thorns, but the crafting techniques have evolved… and the production-line keeps churning them out.
22:05 It was the children who originally inspired the recycled creations. Hungry for toys, beach trash can provide good substitutes, and
flip-flop models have long been in production.
22:30 The older boys carve intricate flip-flop replicas of the dhows all around them, and set sail with an old plastic bag.
22:42 Such creative recycling is an old habit here, but with the support of conservation organizations this flip-flop art has made its way into distant markets.
23:01 Loaded up in dhows, the flip-flops, transformed, begin yet another journey. (PAUSE)
They leave the quiet shores, to be taken back where their epic adventures began.
23:37 Put on sale at craft-markets across the country, the Flip-Flops once again display their bright colours.
23:48 Brought here by one of the craft-woman, the eco-friendly creations and their unusual origins capture the imaginations of all.
24:11 The business is good, so completing the cycle as trash…
turned into craft…
becomes cash.
24:27 The market, and all it leaves in its wake, has brought to the resourceful beachcombers a valuable trade, precious assets
and their own way forward.
24:45 And all this, because theirs is the beach
where the flip-flops come
at the end of their Flip-Flop trip.
00:18 This is the beach where the flip-flops come at the end of their flip-flop trip.
But where does a flip flop trip begin?
00:27 The floor of a flip-flop factory?
On the shelf of a flip-flop shop?
Or the foot of a flip-flop fan?
00:36 And what snaps the strap of each flip-flop
that finds its flip-flop fate?
00:41 A flip too far,
A flop too fast,
Or a slip that flapped it back?
00:49 And what does the sea say
when she sees another flip-flop fall?
‘Oh flip-flop and flotsam fair and foul, I’ll freely float you all…?’
01:00 But is a flip-flop trip really finished,
once the waves wash them up on the shore?
Or could the beachcombers bring them back to life…
Turning flotsam into something worth much more?
01:23 Flip-Flop trips are beginning the world over, in huge numbers every day.
And nowhere are they more prolific than here in East Africa, where the coastal city of Mombasa alone is the origin of 20 million pairs a year.
01:57 The production process is simple, but requires many hands.
02:04 Originally the ancient footwear was made of wood, but now strong synthetic rubber meets the need.
02:21 In various sizes, one by one, the soles are stamped out, each with three holes for the straps.
02:54 Bagging up……
02:58 sacking up …..
03:00 …and stacking up.
Ready for action, they take to the streets where the demand is high, but the supply is always a step ahead.
The market is flooded with choice and the styles change endlessly as the brands compete for a foothold in the industry.
03:27 Some even design their own home-brands – using old car tyres they create the ultimate road-worthy footwear.
03:38 But whatever the style, the business is big… and Mombasa is just the beginning.
Eighty thousand pairs leave the town each day, heading all over the African continent…
03:53 But there’s one particular place where flip-flops really make their mark.
03:59 Lamu.
04:03 A small island of Swahili people whose vibrant culture grew from the African and Arabian trading legacy a thousand years ago.
04:13 The traditional sailing dhows are still central to their way of life, and much time is spent at the waters edge.
04:26 Nothing could suit the seafarers better than this cheap, cheerful and amphibious footwear.
04:39 Known here as Pata-patas, they are a basic necessity for all and have become an integral part of Swahili dress.
04:53 Without any cars on the island, the Lamu feet are hard working (PAUSE)
and at market time, the Pata-Patas are out in full swing.
05:11 Worn by all ages… slipping into all sizes… they resound through-out the town.
05:26 The meandering route to Madrasa, the Islamic school, is a well-trodden one, but in keeping with Swahili culture, the footwear seldom gets beyond the doorstep.
Whilst the children learn the Koran, their Flip-Flops, caste aside, lie in wait.
05:54 Five times a day from mosques all over town, the call to prayer rings out bringing all Muslim men together.
06:09 Well-accustomed to the routine the Flip Flops know their place.
06:29 Being left somewhere particular avoids getting lost in the crowd.
06:37 Older ones are moulded to the shape of the feet they wear, the colours and patterns a measure of the weight they bear.
06:50 Back on the streets, and each on a journey of their own;
familiar paths, though no two souls are the same.
07:26 Worn in…worn out… and in need of some attention,
they go to a place where at last, they are welcomed beyond the doorstep.
07:45 Lamu cobblers seldom make shoes, but mend them, and Flip-Flop maintenance has become their speciality.
08:05 Well cared for by the cobblers, these will all walk again (PAUSE)
but others, beyond repair, lie rejected with the rest of Lamu litter.
08:27 Each May a change in the Monsoon winds bring stormy weather to Lamu…
08:39 … and all the year’s rain falls in a just a few weeks.
08:54 The downpours flush the town clean, and the cast-offs make their break.
09:11 Foot-loose and fancy-free….they’re headed for the open sea…
09:32 Much of the town’s rubbish ends up in the sea…. And flip-flops are no exception.
Bouyant and resilient, they are swept along by the powerful ocean currents.
There is no telling how long their journey will be, or where it will take them, as they join the fleet of flotsam…. Flip-Flotsam.
10:02 And so begins their voyage in this mysterious new world…
10:58 Skimming the surface, and riding the waves, they brush shoulders with other ocean wanderers, of all shapes and sizes.
11:40 For the pelagic drifters the journey is effortless (PAUSE) but for a tiring long distance swimmer (PAUSE)
what better find than this?
12:08 Sea borne for years, the flotsam is put to good use, and many an ocean hitch-hiker gets on board.
12:22 Anchored firmly to the straps and reliant on their seaworthy host, this colony of Goose Barnacles feeds from the nutrient-rich surface waters.
12:39 Adopting marine fashions they can put on quite a display.
13:02 For some this may be a trip to far-off lands. (PAUSE)
For others, eventual integration into the ocean’s endlessness.
13:15 But along the remote northern coast of Kenya, converging oceanic currents bring trash ashore with tidal regularity.
13:50 When the wind is strong, and the tide is high, the coastal release valves kick in…
14:02 and all that floats…flies.
14:29 Flung back onto dry land, exposed to the scorching African sun, they begin to curl… and crumble… and sitting out the seasons they blend into the surroundings.
14:53 For these Noddy Terns roosting on this craggy coral coastline, finding a comfortable perch can be difficult.
15:11 Though amidst the crowd, someone has found a solution.
15:32 But it’s in the bays and along the beaches that most of the litter comes ashore. (PAUSE)
The resident ghost crabs scavenge for nutritious arrivals, dodging the coastal clutter, which at every tide,
clearly leaves its mark.
15:48 Day after day, high-tide after high-tide, the debris chokes the shoreline, and the supplies will just keep coming.
16:05 On this long island beach, the tide has offered up something a little more interesting. The well-traveled Goose Barnacles have been left high and dry, and the beach-combers know a good thing when they see it.
17:07 Whilst the barnacles’ protective shells served them well at sea, they are no defence from the powerful claws of ghost crabs.
17:33 But the crabs are not the only beach-combers (PAUSE)
and in these hands, a whole new colourful adventure lies ahead.
17:48 These are the Bajuni People of Kiwayu island. Their lives are finely tuned to the cycles of the moon and the ocean.
After every high tide they search the flotsam for good firewood and other useful pickings.
And of late, this includes Flip Flops too.
18:20 Gathered, however ragged, their full potential still untapped.
18:54 Kiwayu island has long been home to these descendants of sea-faring Arabs and wandering Somalis, drawn here by the freshwater so scarce on this coastline.
(PAUSE)
Now part of the Kiunga Marine Reserve, remote and unspoilt, this hardy community live off the land and sea.
(PAUSE)
While most men fish or tend livestock, women are making-do with flip- flops.
19:33 With no electricity on the island the driftwood fuels their stoves, whilst the flip-flops fuel a new cottage industry.
19:50 In the midst of this closely knit village of 500 people, skilled hands are bringing about change.
(PAUSE)
The flotsam is free, the tools are cheap, and the women, mostly house- bound with little means of earning a living, are resourceful and productive. (PAUSE)
Amidst their daily jobs more and more of them are fashioning the rubber as part of a days work.
20:25 The pata-pata’s, now elevated from cast-offs to a valued resource, get to show their true colours once more.
20:44 Inspired by their rich marine environment, the islanders transform the flotsam into new and vibrant life forms.
20:59 Initially the carvings were pieced together with Acacia thorns, but the crafting techniques have evolved… and the production-line keeps churning them out.
22:05 It was the children who originally inspired the recycled creations. Hungry for toys, beach trash can provide good substitutes, and
flip-flop models have long been in production.
22:30 The older boys carve intricate flip-flop replicas of the dhows all around them, and set sail with an old plastic bag.
22:42 Such creative recycling is an old habit here, but with the support of conservation organizations this flip-flop art has made its way into distant markets.
23:01 Loaded up in dhows, the flip-flops, transformed, begin yet another journey. (PAUSE)
They leave the quiet shores, to be taken back where their epic adventures began.
23:37 Put on sale at craft-markets across the country, the Flip-Flops once again display their bright colours.
23:48 Brought here by one of the craft-woman, the eco-friendly creations and their unusual origins capture the imaginations of all.
24:11 The business is good, so completing the cycle as trash…
turned into craft…
becomes cash.
24:27 The market, and all it leaves in its wake, has brought to the resourceful beachcombers a valuable trade, precious assets
and their own way forward.
24:45 And all this, because theirs is the beach
where the flip-flops come
at the end of their Flip-Flop trip.