Smelting Iron in Africa (2005)

Recorded in May 2005 in the Mossi village of Dabo in northern Burkina Faso the above video produced by the late Christopher Roy 19472019 documents the traditional way of smelting iron We witness a group of smith elders making charcoal digging and mining the ore and flux building the kiln with clay from a termite mound firing the kiln making sacrifices smelting the iron and forging the iron into tools No iron had been smelted in the region for over 50 years this video being a reenactment of the old ways as they now buy their iron imported from China Its a fascinating documentary that can only enlarge your respect for the makers of the many traditional African iron tools and weapons we encounter in the West And youll see that pumping iron has a meaning outside the gym as well