Androsia Batik

Androsia was started at Fresh Creek on Andros in 1973 by Rosi Birch, who was looking for work for local women, and it has been making batik there ever since. The process is done by hand: patterns are stamped onto cotton with wax using metal and foam blocks, the cloth is dyed in vats, and the wax is boiled out, leaving the design in the undyed colour. The motifs are Bahamian, hibiscus, conch, palm, pineapple, in strong tropical colours. The fabric became the closest thing the Bahamas has to a national dress, worn for Independence and at official occasions, and the factory takes visitors through the whole process.

What you actually see

• The wax stamping - patterns applied by hand with blocks.
• The dye vats - fabric dipped and dried in the yard.
• The boiling out - wax removed to reveal the pattern.
• The factory shop - fabric by the yard and finished clothing.

When to go

Year-round on weekdays, when the factory is working; visits at weekends see the shop but not the process. Mornings are best. Independence week at the start of July is when the fabric is most visible across the country.

Honest expectations

The factory is small and the tour is informal rather than organised; there is no set schedule and you see what is running that day. Getting to Andros at all requires a flight and a car. The shop in Nassau sells the same product without the process, which is the practical option for most visitors.

Nearby

Andros Town is at Fresh Creek; the blue holes are inland.