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Stories from the global community
Come along on the journey!
Day 42: A Long Flight to Ghana for Bolga Baskets
Destination:
Bolgatanga, Ghana
Bolgatanga, colloquially known as Bolga, is a town and the capital of the Bolgatanga Municipal District and Upper East Region of Ghana, adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso. Bolgatanga's name derives from the Frafra words bolga "rock" and tẽŋa "city." Bolga lies in the Red Volta River Valley (which serves as a major migration route for elephants).
The region has an erratic rainfall pattern and generally harsh weather conditions. A dry, dust-laden wind, called Harmattan, often blows from the desert. From February to April, the temperature easily exceeds 104°F, November to January temperatures are around 65
°F.
Fun Facts:
Historically Bolgatanga was situated at the southern terminus of the ancient Trans-Saharan trade route.
Much of Bolga is a dispersed settlement of mud-walled compounds each surrounded by fields and spread over an area of about 160 square miles. The cultivation of staple crops and stock raising are the chief occupations.
Also:
Bolgatanga is known as the crafts center of the Upper East region of Ghana.
Art Form: Bolga Baskets
These beautiful hand-woven baskets are made by artisans in rural Bolgatanga.
For many generations, weaving has been a traditional skill of the people of Upper East Ghana.
"Bolga Baskets" or "Market Baskets" are all natural baskets made from tall, tough elephant grass. Elephant grass (Cenchrus purpureus), grows wild and often over 10' tall.
The grass is dried, dyed, woven and often finished with goat hide handles for comfort and durability. A medium basket usually takes about two days to create.
The specialized weaving process makes these baskets strong and flexible; they can be reshaped or washed by getting them wet with water and forming them with your hands.
The Company:
Swahili African Modern
We have visited Swahili African Modern earlier in our journey when we learned about Flip Flop animals. Swahili works with networks of artisans in
Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Sudan, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Senegal
.
Leslie Mittelberg founded her company Swahili in 1995 in Eugene, Oregon. A former resident of Nairobi, Kenya, Leslie named the company "Swahili" after the people of East Africa whose artistry inspired her entrepreneurship.
Swahili partners with African artisans extending each artisan's craft from the local market to the global marketplace, all the while providing artisans with options to work from the comfort of their own homes and communities. Traditional skills that have been passed down through generations continue to bring meaning, stability, & a sense of pride to artisans & entire communities.
Secure in the knowledge that the fair payment they receive will not be reduced by traveling expenses, childcare costs or haggled prices, artisans in the Swahili network promote their family's future by using earnings to put food on the table and pay educational expenses for their children.
Swahili works with producers across Africa who value their natural environment and employ sustainable methods of production including utilizing recycled, reclaimed and highly renewable materials. The company is a
member of the
Fair Trade Federation.
In response to the challenges their partners in Africa are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Swahili Modern has established an Artisan Relief Fund. They are giving small grants directly to artisans and small artisan groups to help those in need during this challenging time.
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Shopping . . .
Are you ready to explore
what we have in our store?
It's Farmers Markets season. Bolga baskets are great gathering baskets as well as wonderful picnic baskets.
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Don't forget to stamp your Passport!
Click on the
"stamp" to add to your "passport."
We keep track of your stamps for you!
"Collect" at least 12 different "country" stamps during the third 20 days of our around-the-world trip to
be entered
into the drawing for a $25 gift card.
At the end of our 80-day
Around the World
excursion, all eligible travelers (minimum of 48 country stamps)
will be
entered into a drawing for . . .
a Grand Prize
$100 shopping spree gift card!
Thanks for traveling with us today.
Where to next? Stay tuned!
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I flipped my calendar page this morning - June 1st. Amazing. Spring flowering trees are now filled with leafy greens. My oregano, lavender, basil, mint, thyme and rosemary are now adding bursts of flavor to meals we are cooking. These are such wonderful reminders from nature on how our world continues to bud and flower and grow even amidst the many challenges around us and in our world.
Our Brookside store is closed today and Tuesday. We will be open Wednesday through Sunday. Our current hours are posted below my signature and we look forward to seeing you!
For those of you who cannot or choose not to shop in our Brookside store right now, we thank you for your continued online shopping support. And, yes, we plan to continue our global "journeys" with daily additions to our online store.
And I can't say it enough times -
YOU are an important part of what makes World's Window so special! THANK YOU!
World's Window
"Nobody can define you like you."
P.S.
We are glad to be on this around-the-world virtual journey with you and delighted that you are traveling with us. We hope you are learning some new information as we travel along.
If you haven't already done so, invite some friends to come along! There's still room on this journey!
Send an invite
P.P.S.
We're keeping our trip "log" up to date. If you think you've missed a day or are new to our journey, click
here
to review where we've visited the last 41 days.
CLOSED Monday and Tuesday
OPEN Wed through Sat, 11 am to 5 pm
Sunday, 12 noon to 5 pm
As always we are "sharing the world" through clothing, jewelry, folk art, textiles and hand-selected gifts -
and
buying locally-owned is a gift to your community!
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One way to support us
right now
is to purchase
World's Window gift cards.
In-store gift cards can also be purchased by calling
us at 816-361-2500.
And, with all gift card purchases
we'll ADD 10% more
to the value of your gift card as a "Thank You" for shopping small and local.
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