Our collection of handmade goods includes many functional and decorative items for the home, holiday and gift products, and fashion accessories. Online sales are handled by our partner, One World Projects.
Eastern Africa:    Ethiopia   |   Kenya   |   Rwanda   |   Uganda  
Western Africa:   Burkina Faso   |   Ghana   |   Mali

Ethiopia
The oldest independent country in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopia blends rich influences from Africa and the Middle East. These styles are reflected in the intricate recycled silver jewelry and superb handloomed textiles coming from this ancient land.

Kenya
Our assortment of Kenyan items includes soapstone form the southwest, beaded goods from the north and woven handbags and jewelry from the capital city of Nairobi. The rich colors, textures and designs are as diverse and exotic as Kenya itself.

Rwanda
Hundreds of rural women, many widows of the 1994 genocide that look nearly one million lives, come together to make our exquisite sisal baskets. Men are also involved in basket-making, especially from the leaves and bark of banana trees found in the north of Rwanda. Rwanda also sports a burgeoning knitting industry thanks to Rwanda Knits, a non-government organization (NGO) that is putting hundreds of donated hand-operated knitting machines to work.

Uganda
A beautiful country that claims the source of the mighty Nile, Uganda has a wide array of traditional products and arts. One such art combines a traditional material known as "bark cloth" with the relatively new craft of creating handmade, recycled paper.

Burkina Faso
Many people scratch their heads when hearing the name Burkina Faso and even fewer are familiar with the capital city, Ouagadougou (pronounced wah-ga-doo-goo)! Burkina Faso or "the country of the incorruptibles" was known as Upper Volta until 1984. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, but the people are proud of their culture. They host one of Africa's largest craft fairs, the International Art and Craft Fair, better known as SIAO (for Le Salon International de L Artisanat de Ouagadougou). At the 2006 SIAO, EDImports met the artisans who make our recycled plastic bracelets, bobble head gourd elephants, hippos and rhinos.

Ghana
Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to emerge from colonial rule in 1957. Today it is known for its rich culture and diverse landscapes, including the savannah grasslands where we get the materials for our "Bolga" baskets. Tightly woven by hand from elephant grass, these baskets are both durable and flexible. If you find your basket gets squished in the back of your closet or trunk of your car, simply wet it with water, push it back into shape, and let it dry!

New Product - we've just added colorful glass bead bracelets, crafted by recycling bottles into beads. See them at One World Projects.

Mali
Mali, the7^th largest country in Africa (24^th in the world), is likely best known as the home of Timbuktu, the intellectual and spiritual capital of the country. Timbuktu's location made it a natural meeting point for nearby African populations and nomadic Berber and Arab people traveling from the from the North who came to trade goods and propogate Islam in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. Its long history as a trading outpost gave it a fabled status, and in the West it was a metaphor for exotic, distant lands: "from here to Timbuktu." Not surprisingly, trading items, such as beads and cloth, are some of the most treasured items from Mali.

With our partner, One World Projects, see mud cloth (Bogolan or Bògòlanfini) stuffed animals, and NEW - two lines of jewelry, crafted from recycled radiators and "white heart" glass beads.

All our goods are handmade from natural, local materials with minimal environmental impact and the artisans who craft them are paid fair, living wages.

Through our sales relationship with One World Projects we can offer not only our African products, but also those from Central & South America as well as Asia in a single convenient online location--one checkout, one shipment.