The Art of People & Gorillas Living in Harmony
This is a story of women weaving beautiful baskets in remote villages of Uganda & Rwanda with few visitors to appreciate them…of a woman in Orinda who wanted to give more than money to a cause she was passionate about…and Manda, the owner of Bodytime, who saw the beauty in the baskets and an opportunity to make a difference. And after less than a year, this partnership is starting to change the lives of these women who came together because of the magnificent mountain gorilla.
 Only 720 mountain gorillas remain in the world. They live in two Central African locales in the Virunga Range—Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo)/Mgahinga National Park (Uganda), and in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a World Heritage Site in Uganda.
The People
Gorilla survival greatly depends on the well being of the people who live adjacent to these parks. Virunga Artisan products are the handiwork from these villages across the Virunga/Bwindi highlands of Central Africa. Far from the region’s larger cities, these artisans create remarkable works of art as they balance their traditional social structure and way of living with the forces of modernity. These communities are on the immediate perimeter of the national parks and have the greatest impact on mountain gorilla habitat.
The villages have no running water or electricity and the people traditionally have made their living from subsistence agriculture. It is a harsh existence and the women must often walk many miles just to get enough water for the day.
But when given an opportunity, these hard working women added weaving to their very long days in order to improve the lives of their families. In addition to economic empowerment, there is a real sense of accomplishment and pride in the traditional baskets that they create. You can see the change in a group of stoic women in Nkuringo who are now enthusiastic, positive people looking to a better future.
 Virunga Artisans
Katie Doyle’s life was changed forever when sitting just a few meters away from a 500 pound silverback and his family living in the forested volcanic slopes in Rwanda. After her retirement, she decided to donate her business skills to help the local artisans build sustainable businesses. Virunga Artisans was founded in 2006 to develop and market the unique crafts from the region. Katie manages Virunga Artisans as a volunteer, so all company proceeds go to Fair Trade Wages or the International Gorilla Conservation Program www.IGCP.org
Bodytime
Manda immediately felt a connection to this group of women on the other side of the world. She knew that her customers would appreciate the beauty of the baskets…and that by exposing these weavings from a remote corner of the world, she could support women, traditional art, and conservation.  As part of Bodytime’s ongoing mission of making a difference in the world, she decided to provide a marketplace for the baskets… giving the women the ability to make a living outside the parks thus helping to preserve fragile gorilla habitat.
Bodytime showcases not only the baskets but also the stories of these wonderful women…connecting the basket signed by the weaver in Central Africa to her customer in California. By selling these woven works of art at a reasonable price, customers have responded by purchasing over 600 baskets in the past 6 months. And because of this increase in demand, 32 women are now learning the art of the elders in traditional fine basket weaving in the villages of Rushamba and Mgahinga…and so the circle of economic empowerment widens.
Changing Lives
Earnings from the sale of their baskets are making a huge difference in the lives of the women and their families. In a country where 35cents/month allows access to healthcare, all 61 of the Nkuringo weavers can now take their families to the local clinic. And in Rwanda where education is free, but you must buy uniforms and books, even young girls now have the opportunity to go to school.
You can enjoy these exquisite works of art, provide much needed income to the weavers, and help save the endangered mountain gorilla by purchasing Virunga Artisan products at Bodytime. Murakoze!
THE PRODUCTS
 The Nkuringo Collection
Woven by the Nkuringo Ladies Weaving Association, all are of traditional Ugandan design. Each artisan has developed her own style and personally tags and signs her work. Each basket takes between 20-30 hours to weave. Most of the women have to walk several hours to a well for fresh water each day and there is no electricity to work in the evening, so each basket can often take weeks to complete. There will always be variation in size, shape and color as each artist has her own style and the color of the grasses vary as the seasons change.
Kimbebase's basket
Double diamond tub basket, woven from beige and brown natural local grasses, approximately 4"x4"
Rehema's basket
Rich bronze and black spiral woven lidded spice basket is approximately 4" wide x 6" tall
Joviah's basket
Bronze beige grey lidded pot used for storing tea is approximately 4" wide and 6" tall.
Nkurikeye's basket
This petite, tightly woven, lidded basket is the perfect place for jewelry 3" wide, 4" tall
Florence's basket
Tapered basket using traditional animal motif, approximately 4"x4." Made from locally gathered grasses dyed with mushrooms.
The Kinigi Collection
 Peace Baskets: nested set of 5
The women of the Kinigi Weavers Association weave these pagoda-shaped nested baskets in a small village near Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Each Peace basket is hand-crafted from sisal and consists of literally thousands of stitches. The pattern tells an ancient story of friends walking together, visiting neighbors along the way. These baskets now stand as a symbol of peace and reconciliation in a country rebuilding itself after the genocide.
Fou Fou Bread Basket
These intricately woven bread baskets are made from natural sisal grown near the park. Fou fou is made of maize, cassava or yams and is the staple of all meals in Rwanda, a recipe is included. Approximately 12”x8”x8” they also make perfect sewing baskets.
The Kirundo Collection
 Leocaudie’s basket is tightly woven in soft tones of grey and cocoa. Approximately 3”x4” this lidded basket is perfect for your jewelry.
The open Ruhangario basket is made in the traditional design of her village, Kirundo, in soft green and natural tones, approximately 4”x5”.
 Gallery Quality Baskets
There is only one master weavers in the region, Vanice Tindiwengye, who lives in the village of Rushaga. Vanice is 46 years old, and has 5 children. The baskets that she makes are very tightly woven from the finest local grasses, with natural colors of the season. It can take Vanice up to 6 weeks to make one of her magical baskets.
This exquisite lidded Vanice basket is approximately 6”x4” in lovely earth tones.
|
