Basketweaving in Namibia

Earlier I mentioned my friend Terra, who is currently volunteering in the Peace Corps. Here is more information about the project she is working on:

The Kavango region of Namibia, which is right on the border of Angola, is known for making the highest quality baskets in Namibia. The women live in traditional homesteads made up of a number of thatch huts, depending on the size of the family. Dozens of different tribal languages are spoken such as Rukwangali, Gkiriku, Himbukushu, etc. Some women speak a bit of basic English and the weaver wove greetings in English "Hllo, hilo" into her basket. (middle photo). Though Namibia as a country is only twenty years old, the local tribes follow customs that have spanned back thousands of years. The basket materials are all found in the natural environment - the women harvest palm grasses and use natural dyes to color the grasses. Even lilacs and pinks can be obtained through natural dyes from roots and leaves of local plants. All sizes of baskets are woven and all the baskets are entirely unique. Though every basket is one of a kind, there are similar designs and patterns that unite the baskets to make them uniquely Namibian. There is an international market for the baskets, but potential customers have a hard time finding baskets since there are generally no stores in rural areas. "The Kavango Basket Project" is run by FAWENA (Forum of African Women Educationalists Namibia) and aims to help weavers reach an international market for their baskets. By earning an income through traditional basket weaving, not only can their native art forms flourish, but women gain some financial independence in rural areas where there are no jobs and families subsist only on what they grow in their fields. The income women earn from basket weaving is often spent on girls education and HIV prevention, two areas where Namibians face a lot of challenges.

A very cool fact that relates to Colorado: The main basket buyer is an organization called Woven Promises from Longmont, Colorado.
http://www.wovenpromises.com/shop/namibian-baskets.