Kanga for Women - Kwanza, Tanzania

Kanga for Women
Kwanza, Tanzania
Produced by Natural Light Films

To see Ten Thousand Villages products handcrafted by The Batik Center, visit: http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/catalog/product.list.php?cart_artisan_id=26

Kanga cloth products are available in Ten Thousand Villages stores located throughout the U.S.

Kanga cloth evolved among former slaves in East Africa in the early 1900s. As a bright form of self-expression, it includes patterns and proverbs or messages that are a form of cultural communication between women, commenting on their lives and relationships. Kanga cloth embodies emancipation, freedom and self-expression. It is used for bags, carrying children, tablecloths and wall hangings. The kanga is a cornerstone of Swahili life. Women choose the kanga to wear for the day, considering the message it shares.

Rose Makoyala, Manager of The Batik Centre in Dar es Salaam (the capital of Tanzania) started the business because she wanted to help alleviate poverty in Tanzania. She has adapted traditional kanga cloth worn by almost all women in Tanzania into a variety of bags and other products that are sold locally and exported to organizations like Ten Thousand Villages. Most kangas include a little saying or message that adds to the value of the cloth. At the beginning of the video, Rose points out a Swahili message on a kanga that says: "A house that has love is never short of blessing".

Rose started her business 20 years ago creating dresses for family and friends. Today, orders from Ten Thousand Villages have allowed her to grow and she is able to employ others from her community. She is proud of the business that she has built. Rose points out that our orders for kanga bags create employment for people in Tanzania. We are helping Rose and The Batik Centre to do job creation and to alleviate poverty when we sell kanga bags in our retail stores. .

Kanga can be worn by every woman...not men, but women.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Ten Thousand Villages
• Natural Light Films
• Fair Trade
• Kanga Cloth
• Kanga
• Africa
• artisans
• 10000 villages
• Kanga Bag
• 4702040
• Tanzania
• Kwanza Collection
• Swahili
• Women

[ricardo8snehpets]

@rikku don't you wear them? Aren't you proud of them?

[gothbaby6]

They are sooo pretty

[QueenRikku]

I have so many Kangas :DD My aunt and my grandma love to give me them