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MEET OUR ARTISANS
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Bolgatanga Baskets
| Enusah Anafo hails from the Northern part of Ghana,
Bolgatanga, and he learned Bolga basket weaving from his grandfather. In 1991, he became well established and moved
to Accra to expand his customer base by opening a shop at the Arts Centre. He
currently has eighteen (18) employees who help in running the business, some in
Accra and others in Bolgatanga. He has
been a supplier for eShopAfrica since 2008. Shop for Bolgatanga Baskets here.
| Drums | Hayford
Aboagye Akwasi learned wood carving
and drum making from his grandfather, starting at a young age after school. After graduating from High School, he moved
to the Arts Center in Accra and joined a drumming and dancing group for three
years, and then commenced the drum-making business. After working for five (5) years with another
business, he managed to save some money and
then with the help of a friend he started his own drum making business "Universal
Drums Enterprise”. He has trained ten strong boys whom he currently works with. They have been supplying eShopAfrica since
2009. Shop for Drums here.
|  Ga Coffins | After working 12 years as an apprentice with a famous Ga coffin-maker,
'Paa Joe Carpentry workshop,’ Eric Adotey Kpakpo established his business, "Eric's
Carpentry Workshop," with his own savings.
His workshop is situated at La, a suburb of Accra. Currently, he has two
apprentices whom he is training. He specializes in miniature coffins and chests
with mind blowing designs, different shapes and sizes which are exported and
also sold locally. His dream is to
expand the business, and to continue to satisfy his clients by producing the
best on both local and international markets in the near future. Eric has been supplying eShopAfrica with Ga
Coffins since 2001. Shop for Ga Coffins here.
| Kente Cloth Strips
| Eric Boateng a textile trader is from
Ghana and has provided eShopAfrica with beautiful, hand woven kente cloth since
2007. He learned the business from his
mother and sister and has now taken over the family trade. Although his family
were originally kente cloth traders, Eric has made contact with artisans in
Mali and Burkina Faso producing mudcloth and indigo cloth and he has become one
of the best known mudcloth traders in Ghana. Shop for Kente Cloth strips here.
| Kente Cloth Shawls | Adams Salifu
is a kente weaver and adinkra printer from Ntonso, a village near Kumasi in the
Ashanti Region. He is the Secretary of the Amangoase (meaning ''under the mango
tree'') Association His association
advocates for its weavers, printers, and traders to use traditional methods of
textile production and has also participated in various HIV/AIDS awareness
programs within Ntonso and throughout the district. Like most young men in
Ntonso, Adams learned his weaving and printing from his father. He believes it
is important to the people of Ntonso to pass down their craft from generation
to generation. Shop for Kente Shawls here.
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 Lost Wax Casting Brass
Beads
| Kwaku Ampong was born into a family of brass bead makers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana and started learning his
family’s trade at a young age. He runs his own production with a few employees depending on their work
load. Kwaku wants to own a big
production house that will accommodate the young adults who wish to learn and
acquire more skills in brass beads production. He really loves his job and
always gives thanks to his father for passing on the trade of brass bead
production to him. He has supplied brass
beads for eShopAfrica for a few years. Shop for Lost Wax Casting Brass Beads here.
| Powdered & Painted Glass Beads | Florence Martey, of TK Beads, is one Ghana's leading bead designers who produce
high quality hand-made designer beads. Her designs draw both on traditional and
modern themes and, as with many West African artisans, her use of colour is
outstanding. In the past few years, TK
Beads has expanded greatly. They started with fifteen workers and now have over
twenty-five workers. They also engage in training interested people in
bead-making. TK Beads has been a
supplier for eShopAfrica since 2001. Shop for Powdered Glass Beads.
| Recycled Glass Beads
| Oklah Tetteh was born into a family of bead makers in
the Eastern Region of Ghana and started learning his family’s trade at a young
age. He established a small workshop on his own in 1993 making powdered glass
beads. In 1994, he added ‘bodoum bead designs’ and recycled glass beads in new
sizes, colours and unique colour combinations.
He has been a loyal supplier for eShopAfrica since 1997, and his beads
have been exported around the world. Currently, he is developing plans to
create a training centre to train others who desire to be in the bead-making
business so they can earn a better living. Shop for Recycled Glass Beads here.
| | Ria Azu is a
jewellery designer who has made Ghana her home. "In Ghana,” she says, "beads accompany us
from birth to death, they mark the milestones of our lives. They are treasured for many generations, some
even for hundreds, thousands of years. My passion for Beads inspires me to create
jewellery with a Story. Through the Ghana Bead Society I have the opportunity
to interact with bead producers, traders, jewellery designers, bead
researchers; people from all walks of life sharing a love for beads…..always
exciting, always inspiring.” After years
of designing jewellery with beads, copper came into her life and a whole new
world opened up. Copper wire has an
earthy warmth and loveliness that combines so well with beads. It was the start
of new a love affair: ’Whispers in Wire’. Together with her other line called:
‘Beads Speak’ they are the two halves of her beading heart. Shop for RiA's Beads Copper Wire Jewelry here.
|  Sun Trade Beads Ornaments
| Sun Trade
Beads was established in 1996 by Kati Torda in order to promote the local and
export sale of beads, jewellery and handicrafts from Ghana. Kati’s work has played a significant role in
promoting the importance of beads in Ghanaian society. Sun Trade Beads has become a destination to
find a vast selection of handmade items in Accra, Ghana. Shop for Ornaments here.
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