Africa — Ethnic Supplies

African inspired Christmas gifts

November 7, 2012 By idahorner

If like me you are grappling with what to buy your loved ones for Xmas especially those who seemingly have every thing I hoping that this selection of gifts from our African artisans will inspire you

For the table- Our Table Runners are hand woven by female artisans in Mukono district Central Uganda, the runners combine two textiles raffia and cotton and are suitable for In or Outdoors.The set comprises 6 Place Mats and one Table Runner. Can Be wiped clean with a damp cloth

This shawl, or “lamba” in Malagasy, is handwoven by women artisans from the Manandriana area of Madagascar, It is women from 100% wild Madgascarn silk usingtraditional equipment and spinning methods.

The silk comes from endemic wild silkworms called Borocera madagascariensis, which are found mainly in the tapia forests of this region.

The unique dyes are vegetable and mineral based. It takes the artisans a whole week to spin and weave this shawl.

For Him/Her or the children-This African Tote is made from the finest organic Tanzanian cotton by artisans in Dar es Salaam. It is hand decorated with the African Big five and savannah scenery

Take it to work or shopping whatever you do enjoy it

For Her- Is she heading out to sunnier climes, then this handicrafted hat is the perfect gift. It is handmade Nivo our Madagascan artisan from raffia. It is dramatic and provides shelter from intense sun and heat, so you have no need to carry an umbrella. Its size means that it protects your neck and shoulders from sunburn and it folds easily for travelling and retains shape

For the Hamper- If you are putting together a Christmas Hamper, this is a perfect basket for you. Handmade by our artisans in Ruhanga from locally harvested papyrus this basket is traditionally used to process grain and cereal. You could also use it as a fruit basket and if you have a wood fire you will find this basket useful for displaying your logs

For the table or Bathroom- Handmade by our artisans in Ruhanga this pretty basket can be used to decorate the table or for storage. It is handmade from papyrus and used plastic sacks by women of Ruhanga SW Uganda, this basket is a fantastic addition to any dressing table or bathroom. It is traditionally used to store or serve food.

All these items gifts and others are available from our online shop http://www.ethnicsupplies.co.uk/shop/

Filed Under: Ethical Fashion, Ethnic Supplies Product range, Latest, Poverty in Africa Tagged With: Africa, Christmas, Ethnic gifts, Gift basket, MADAGASCAR, Placemat, Tanzania, Uganda, Xmas Gifts

Africa fabrics and their impact on poverty amongst women-#bad12

October 15, 2012 By idahorner

By the time you read this I will be in Vienna Austria giving a Keynote speech at the Pan African Forum Austria. This week long event focuses on African Textile and specifically explores the impact of these fabrics on the poverty amongst rural African women in particular.Blog Action Day 2012- The Power of We

Textile weaving in Africa has a long, varied and rich history but faces real challenges from the modern world and here a few that come to mind immediately

Routes to market- traditionally woven textile may not always appeal to us as consumers and buyers for Fashion Houses are aware of this and will be reluctant to stock something that we the consumers will not buy

Cost of production- authentic African fabrics are still handwoven, the work is labour intensive, and this means that it is near impossible to scale some of the enterprises and as such making the end product a niche product as by definition a very expensive product.

Globalization- you would think this would be a good thing but not really, as the geographic distance narrows, folk are able to reach some of the remote places where these fabrics are produced, copy the designs and reproduce them in a factory somewhere in China and as the traditional weavers are out of work just like that. In addition to most of us Africans who see the value of these textiles, prefer the cheaper and perhaps more fashionable mass produced fabrics from India and or China

Urbanization- Rural to Urban migration is at an all time high and with it, traditions such as weaving are dying out.

Food security- in the Tapia forests of Madagascar, silk producing moth are also a source of protein for the natives, and therefore the eggs are eaten leaving no cocoons to produce the silk from. Furthermore, forests have been cut back for farming which has destroyed the habitat for the silk moth

Technology- as mentioned above, it has become increasingly easy for the patterns, designs of the ancienct african textiles and fabrics to be copied and reproduced at such high scales in the mechanised factories of India and China which the traditional weavers cannot compete with

Infrastructure- The cost of production is compounded by the cost of freight which is directly linked to poor infrastructure

Competition- the more technologically advanced countries are not only able to copy and reproduce African designs but are able to produce cheaper fabrics on such large scales that African weavers cannot compete with. The women also face competition from the second hand clothing market.

But we as consumers have The Power to change some of this if we

Recognise the role of African fabrics in income generation for women, contribution to stemming climate change
Acknowledge the role of women in the economic, political and social development of the continent
Shop wisely

That my friends is The Power of We!

Filed Under: Latest, Poverty in Africa Tagged With: #BAD12, #powerofwe, Africa, African textiles, Blog Action Day 12, Textiles and Nonwovens, Weaving

Uganda at 50: The Condition of Ugandan Women

October 1, 2012 By idahorner

On 9/10/2012 Uganda will celebrate 50 years of independence from the British Government. In these series of Uganda at 50, I will give you a glimpse of life in Uganda today. In today’s post are a few facts about the condition of women in Uganda as reported in Uganda’s National Development plan 2010- 2015.

I have written about most of these facts on this blog. you will recall this post about a Ugandan woman who was left to die on a hospital ward because she could not afford to pay £66 and access to land in Kisoro SW Uganda and those affected by Kony’s War

The question I ask today is

What will the next 50 years look like for Women in Uganda?

Filed Under: African women, Latest, Politics Tagged With: Africa, African women, East africa, Kampala, KONY2012, MATERNAL HEALTH, Uganda