Blog
Four interesting West African Christmas traditions
Although the very first version of Christianity was purely western, the religion has greatly evolved to embrace African traditions giving birth to religious ceremonies with a native touch. The following…
An Interview with Bashiri Director Simon Fraser
Simon’s love for West African art was sparked in 1997 when he ventured to Ghana on a musical pilgrimage. He instantly fell for the creative soul of the region and…
How countries in West Africa celebrate Christmas
With Christmas is just around the corner, we thought we’d take a look at how different countries in West Africa celebrate the holiday. Christianity has been on the continent since…
West African beads
From colonial times to the present day, the main area of glass bead manufacture is West Africa. Ghana is regarded as the Bead Production Capital of the World. We hand…
Bwa people of Burkina Faso
The Bwa or Bwaba (plural), or Bobo-Wule (Bobo-Oule), are an ethnic group indigenous to central Burkina Faso. They are known for their use of masks, made from leaves or wood, used…
Bolga Basket Care Guide
Your fresh and fabulous basket will be flat packed and will need some life breathed into it. The good news is that the care instructions are simple. Soak the basket. This can…
Voodoo dolls
Voodoo (Vodun) is a derivative of the world’s oldest known religions which have been around in Africa since the beginning of human civilization. The word “voodoo” comes from the West…
West African Batiks
African batiks were pioneered by the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria and the Wolof of Senegal. Eventually blending with similar mediums from Asia, batiks have become highly cherished across West Africa…
Bolga Baskets and other Bolga products
Hand-woven from the elephant grass that grows in the rich flood plains of the White Volta near the village of Bolgatanga, Northern Ghana, these baskets are our most popular product…
Colonial Statues from Ivory Coast
Colonial statues are a genre of wooden figurative sculpture within African Art which originated during the colonial period. The statues commonly depict European colonial officials such as civil servants, doctors, soldiers or technicians or…
Dogon doors from Mali
The Dogon people of Central Mali are best known for their religious traditions, wood work and architecture. Due to the spiritual intent behind their craft, it has remained one of…
Bogolan (Mudcloth) from Mali
Bogolan means ‘made from mud’ in Bambara, the main language of Mali. The Bogolan technique of dyeing and printing cotton is entirely organic and kind to the environment. It contains…