A TRADITION OF BASKET WEAVING IN GHANA
Starting from a small woven circle, Ghanaian basket weavers work their way out from a central point to reveal beautiful, distinctive Bolga baskets. Sometimes called “market baskets,” Bolga baskets are woven from veta vera, or elephant grass. While the grass is grown primarily in southern Ghana, weavers in the northern region of Bolgatanga excel at transforming the tough grass fiber into the iconic baskets. The people from the region rely on the sale of handcrafted items to supplement their income, and their craftsmanship is demonstrated by the high quality of these artfully woven baskets.
The weaving of Bolga baskets in Ghana has been a traditional skill for many generations, and is often a communal process. The Bolga baskets sold by Swahili Modern are fair trade and a reliable source of income for weavers and their families. Just as the baskets begin as a small circle and expand, so does the impact of purchasing fair trade items that directly benefit, support and empower the artisans who create them.
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$38.00
Creatively styled to look like hands, these unique African salad servers are crafted by Kenya wood carvers to showcase the beautiful grain of wild olive wood.
Hand wash in warm water and occasionally rub with olive oil for best care. Measures 8"L x 4"W x 0.25"T. Due to the handcrafted nature of this item, slight variation may occur.
About the Artisans:
We work with representatives of Kamba artists in Kenya to obtain these hand-carved works of beauty derived from the olive wood tree. The artisans benefit greatly from the sale of their works, with marked improvements being seen for the individual, their families, the community.
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$48.00
These eye-catching stacked copper cuff bracelets are handcrafted by young self-taught Zambian women of F.R.E.E (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) using copper recycled from used water heaters and wire, sometimes adding a patina. Defying gender norms by becoming metalsmiths for jewelry-making, these women showcase modern Zambian skill in their F.R.E.E. Woman jewelry.
Sizes: [Narrow] 2.5"L x 2.25"W x 0.75"T. One size fits most. [Wide] 2.5"L X 2.25"W X 1.5"T. One size fits most. Because this is a handcrafted item, each will vary slightly.
About the Artisans:
F.R.E.E (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) started as a group of young, inexperienced women, with no previous jewelry making experience and defying gender norms, who taught themselves metalsmithing using copper. Using copper recycled from used water heaters and wire, they transform it into beautiful pieces of jewelry. Their skills have continually expanded, and some women have trained in silversmithing.
$20.00
Handwoven in Senegal, these mini baskets are crafted using coils of natural grasses, woven together with up-cycled plastic strips in a rainbow of colors. Each basket includes a fitted lid and knob for easy on-and-off.
The baskets are a great way to deliver gifts or hold small treasures. Measures 5.5"D x 6.5"T. Due to the handcrafted nature of this item, slight variation may occur.
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$14.00
Utilizing remnants of Zulugrass, Maasai artisans are designing one-of-a-kind strands to symbolize the bright futures of educated children. Buy Zulugrass=Educate Kids. The Leakey Collection will donate 100% of their profits from the sales of these bracelets to pay for teachers' salaries in rural Kenya. Each 26" strand is packaged on a special tag explaining how the proceeds will be allocated. Wear it wrapped 3-4 times around your wrist or ankle, or long as a necklace.
Zulugrass 26" single strands are made from sustainable, natural grass beads. The richly hued grass is dyed with colorfast, low-impact dyes and interspersed with hand-blown Czech glass. Zulugrass is as creative as the individual who wears it!
$48.00
Six beautiful strands of 26" Zulugrass to wear all together or in any grouping of 1 or more to make a wide variety of color combinations (see additional photos as examples). Strung on elastic, it can be worn as a bracelet, necklace, anklet, hair tie and more. To wear as a bracelet, just wrap each strand around your wrist 3-4 times. Necklace shown may not portray actual color combination.
Zulugrass 26" single strands are made from sustainable, natural grass beads. The richly hued grass is dyed with colorfast, low-impact dyes and interspersed with hand-blown Czech glass. Due to the handmade nature of this item, slight variation is expected. Zulugrass is as creative as the individual who wears it!
$18.00
Vibrant patterned ankara cotton cloth elevates small lined journals and large blank sketchbooks. Each book includes an elasticized band for keeping the pages closed, and the journal includes a ribbon for keeping place.
Journal measures 8"L x 5.25"W with 80 lined pages. Sketchbook measures 12"L x 8"W with 70 blank pages. Due to the handmade nature of this item, variation is in pattern placement expected.
About the Artisans:
African wax prints, also known as Ankara prints, are common materials for clothing in Africa, especially West Africa. A woman named Georgina works with a group of artisans who batik-dye cloth and sew colorful accessories.
 
$14.50
This Sheep Milk Facial Soap is made in small batches by a co-op of South Sudanese women. The soap is created from a mix of Lulu Life virgin shea butter, sheep milk, saponified lye, and scented with ylang ylang essential oil.
Lulu Life Shea Butter is an organic, Grade A virgin shea butter that is produced using nuts from the vitellaria nilotica tree, which grows only in remote East Africa. Most shea butter comes from West African shea trees and is sold as a hard solid. East African shea butter is silky and harder to procure, and considered a precious luxury good. Lulu Shea Butter is made from nuts that are collected, cracked, sorted, dried, ground by hand and cold-pressed (avoiding even the slightest trace of chemical contamination).
Soap measures 1"T x 2"D. Each soap is wrapped in fabric; patterns vary.
About the Artisans:
Founded in 2000, Lulu Works is a non-profit trust established to provide a source of sustainable income for the women of South Sudan. Comprised of women-owned processing centers, Lulu Works ensures that the profit from the production and sale of Lulu Life products returns to these women. It also provides an incentive to protect the natural shea butter resource.
Vitellaria nilotica tree grows across South Sudan in thick forests and takes 20 years to bear its first fruit. These forests are untouched by chemicals or fertilizers.
$48.00
These beautiful hammered copper bracelets are handcrafted by young self-taught Zambian women of F.R.E.E (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) using copper recycled from used water heaters and wire, sometimes adding a patina. Defying gender norms by becoming metalsmiths for jewelry-making, these women showcase modern Zambian skill in their F.R.E.E. Woman jewelry.
When allowed to return to work, the women crafted a short-run series of copper jewelry inspired by the need to stay together even when apart.
Width can be adjusted. Due to the handcrafted nature of this item, each will vary slightly.
About the Artisans:
F.R.E.E (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) started as a group of young, inexperienced women, with no previous jewelry making experience and defying gender norms, who taught themselves metalsmithing using copper. Using copper recycled from used water heaters and wire, they transform it into beautiful pieces of jewelry. Their skills have continually expanded, and some women have trained in silversmithing.
$68.00
These beautiful hammered copper necklaces are handcrafted by young self-taught Zambian women of F.R.E.E (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) using copper recycled from used water heaters and wire, sometimes adding a patina. Defying gender norms by becoming metalsmiths for jewelry-making, these women showcase modern Zambian skill in their F.R.E.E. Woman jewelry.
When allowed to return to work, the women crafted a short-run series of copper jewelry inspired by the need to stay together even when apart.
Due to the handcrafted nature of this item, each will vary slightly.
About the Artisans:
F.R.E.E (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) started as a group of young, inexperienced women, with no previous jewelry making experience and defying gender norms, who taught themselves metalsmithing using copper. Using copper recycled from used water heaters and wire, they transform it into beautiful pieces of jewelry. Their skills have continually expanded, and some women have trained in silversmithing.
$36.00
Treat someone you love with this beautiful Leakey gift set! Featuring strands of colorful Zulugrass beads from The Leakey Collection, and a hand-carved soapstone box adorned with the words "Love Always," this set makes a wonderful fair trade gift.
Gift set includes: