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Stories from the global community
Come along on the journey!
Day 32: Visiting Cameroon and Fertility Dolls
Destination:
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon is one of the wettest countries on Earth with rainfall of 405 inches of rain a year. It has a long rainy season and short dry season because of its proximity to the equator and Mount Cameroon right behind which restricts rain clouds from going elsewhere.
Fun Facts:
Cameroon is an ethnically diverse population with more than 1700 different linguistic groups in the country and 230 other languages are spoken in the region apart from its official languages of French and English.
Also: Waza National Park contains over 30 species of mammals like hartebeest, waterbuck, Sudan cheetahs, lions, and African bush elephants. The world's rarest great ape, the Cross-River gorilla, lives in a few of the forests in this country but was undocumented till the early 20th century.
Art Form: Namji Dolls
Originating from the Namji tribe in north Cameroon, Namji dolls are fertility dolls which have various purposes and multiple meanings. They are used as toys with special significance, as charms to enhance women's childbearing ability, as sympathetic medicine to aid barren women and in sex education. Namji dolls are also carried as good luck during a hunt.
The concept of fertility is highly valued in African societies as being the essence of life. It is deeply rooted in customs and behavior, thus appearing in their art.
Dolls are given a name, fed, and talked to. The most popular place to carry one's doll is strapped to the back, the way real infants are carried around. The doll helps prepare a young Namji woman for her future role as a mother. Though most of them represent females, they sometimes appear as couples.
Sculptors freely interpret the characteristics of the dolls.They are carved from solid hardwood and adorned with multi-colored bead necklaces, cowrie shells, coins, metal strips, fiber and leather.
Namji dolls are considered among the finest and most beautiful dolls of Africa.
The Company: Mbare
In the language of the Shona People of Zimbabwe, mbare (pronounced "im-bah-ree") means "a gathering of things" or "marketplace". Robbie Stewart, the founder and president of Mbare, grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe.
(Robbie's first buying adventure - in Zimbabwe)
"Growing up in Zimbabwe and traveling all over Africa has provided me with a life education like no other. . .I have always had an appreciation for local art found at roadside markets, in urban workshops, or at the homes of talented craftspeople. The artistic skills that these artists possess are often passed down through generations and represent an invaluable accumulation of knowledge and talent. Getting to know families that engage in this work has been a privilege for me."
". . .One of the things that I appreciate and respect about the people in Africa is their resilience and ability to smile, laugh and experience joy in the face of adversity. It's thanks to [their] incredible human spirit . . . In spite of everything, they connect to their very own life force within, find ways to survive, even thrive and demonstrate an amazing capacity to care for others."
(This image says it all, doesn't it?)
Mbare was born out of Robbie's vision to provide sustainable sources of income for people and communities outside of the formal economy. Robbie has always believed that Africa needs trade, not aid.
For over 20+ years Mbare has been supplying a unique collection of handcrafted products made from natural and recycled materials, sourced from all over Africa. They pride themselves on supplying "the best that Africa has to offer."
For them sustainability is successfully managing the balance between the three main components of their business - people, profit and the planet - in a way that creates a win-win situation for all.
Their goal is to foster partnerships where everyone involved in the business thrives, for the highest good of all. They engage in fair and sustainable trade, working "on the ground" with their producers and creating ongoing and long lasting partnerships with them.
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Shopping . . .
Are you ready to explore
what we have in our store?
We have 2 very special Namji dolls in the store right now.
One female. One male.
Beautiful stylized, contemporary interpretations.
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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 second 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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In researching and telling the Mbare story, it is clear
how much Robbie's family is involved. His wife, Maria Machado, does the marketing and photography work. The entire family has traveled together and been a part of the multiple cultures of Zimbabwe, Uraguay and the United States. I am thankful for the ways we were able to include our daughters in parts of our World's Window experiences and in trips to a variety of countries.
Well, oh my goodness, here we are headed into Memorial Day Weekend! We've watched Spring unfold over 32 days of our "journey" and now Summer is just a few days away. This weekend will no doubt be different for many - a weekend that
often includes lots of family gatherings and travel. For the last several years this weekend would have included time with our grandchildren and family in the Pacific Northwest. For now we get to see them grow and change by social media and are thankful for those connections. May your weekend be touched by pictures, phone calls, memories and greetings from friends, neighbors and family.
Our Brookside store is open from 11 to 5 today (Friday) and will be open 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 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 31 days.
Temporary Hours
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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See what's happening on our social sites:
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