Manufacture and Use Obom: Review

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate the literature on the improvement of Obom fabric, the traditional dress of the Fan-béti in central, southern, and eastern Cameroon, over time. The aim is to search the literature for improvements in the properties of this fabric over time in order to identify what remains to be done since the advent of sustainable development calls for valorizing biodegradable textiles, in short, textiles of natural origin. Consultation of databases (Google Scholar and Researchgate) reveals that the use of tapered bark in clothing is an ancient culture known not only in Cameroon but in many other countries around the world. The trees constantly used in the manufacture of this fabric are Iroko, and it has been found that there are two types of tree, Millicia excelsa and Millicia regia, which nevertheless have certain morphological and physiological distinctions. It should also be noted that slick extraction can be carried out on a tree trunk that has already been cut down and on a tree that is still alive. In the latter case, care must be taken with the quantity of bark to be removed from the tree to avoid destroying it. In the end, the fabric that emerges from this traditional untreated extraction is still quite stiff and does not have good textile properties; we, therefore, need to experiment in future studies with appropriate treatments to obtain properties that can be compared with those of modern textiles.