A Useful Definition of Fair Trade

Fair Trade is a Trading Partnership, based on dialogue, transparency, and respect, that seeks greater equity in International Trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, disadvantaged producers and workers.

Fair Trade in Practise Such Trading Partnerships are active within a net-work of producers, importers, wholesalers, certifiers, labelers, retailers, and consumers who are challenging the status quo, and trying to right the injustices of international trade. 

Farmers, artisans and workers in over 80 countries make scores of Fair Trade product types. The most common kinds of goods ex-changed include coffee, sugar, cocoa, chocolate, bananas, tea, jewelry, clothing, and housewares. Others include cut flowers, toys, furniture, art, sports balls, wine, olive oil, rice, spices, herbs & more.

For individuals and communities of producers, participating in Fair Trade has directly led to dignity, respect and improved lives. Participants often credit Fair Trade for helping them eat adequately, access health care, send kids to school, clean their water, care for orphans or disabled people, and manage sustainable businesses. Fair trade empowers low-income producers in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and promotes understanding between them and people of developed regions. The various models of Fair Trade use critical tools such as favorable financing, long-term relationships, minimum prices, community investment, capacity building, and sustainable environmental standard to enable marginalized people to help themselves.

Fair Trade Principles

• Creating Opportunities for economically and socially marginalized producers.

• Developing transparent and accountabel relationships.

• Building Capacity.

• Promoting Fair Trade.

• Paying promptly and fairly.

• Supporting safe and empowering working conditions.

• Ensuring the rights of children.

• Cultivating environmental stewardship.
• Respecting cultural identity.

Transforming Seagrass into beautiful Purses

When we founded World Travel Art we started right away to offer colorful, tatami style woven purses from Cambodia, made by Baskets of Cambodia. One of the Fair Trade Partners' Slogans says: "from humble beginnings come great things'" - we could not agree more to this! It is stunning how the weavers and purse makers transform the reed into these light, strong, fun and unique purses. Still today Seagrass Purses are one of our best-selling items on site and on outdoor markets. 

The process  starts with the selection and the precise cutting of each strand of seagrass that can grow as high as 8' tall. There is only one major harvest per year in the Mekong and surrounding deltas due to the monsoons in Asia.

The reed is then dried and dyed several times in certified, non-toxic dyes in order to reach the rich color of the finished product and hung to dry. Two weavers work then together on one loom to make the long, wide mats. One person threads each strand of grass while the other person operates the actual loom. The mats are cut into respective pieces to make purses, floor mats or place mats before being handed over to the sewing group that finishes the process.  

It is confirmed by our customers again and again that these fine reed purses are  great, durable and wearable year round plus make a great conversation piece when out with the girls.

  

Tips for Buying Green, Eco-Friendly Products

There are no universal certifications or standards to identify green, eco-friendly products and only a handful of ecolabeling organizations (listed at the end). So when you are out and about trying to buy green, just ask some of the following questions. 

Is the production process eco-friendly?
Think about pollution, the natural resources it takes to get the product on the shelf, are recycled materials used in the production, Human Rights and the treatment of animals.

How safe is the product?
Read the labels and keep your eyes open for chemicals or hazardous materials that are part of the product or have been used during production. Is the product safe for the environment, look for biodegradable ingredients or materials.

How much waste does the product create?
Consider the packing material and rapping the product comes in. What options do you have to despose the product after it wears out. Is the product recyclable ? 

Ecolabeling Organizations:
Green Seal, USDA organic certified, Rainforest Alliance, Energy Star

Tribal Textiles-Zambia

We are always on the search for additional unique, handmade, socially responsible produced products that we are proudly offer on World Travel Art .

Back when we were living in Tanzania, we came across fabulous fabric that was drawn and hand painted, then finished into stunning wall hangings, table cloth or linen, from Zambia. After some diligent research we finally found a wonderful source in Tribal Textiles and will soon be able to offer a variety of the beautiful products they produce.

Gillie Lightfoot, Director and Owner of Tribal Textiles, started the company more than 20 years ago as a hobby in a small Zambian Safari Camp she was living in. Having an artistic background, she experimented with different techniques and dyes. She was inspired by the wildlife around her and started to become engrossed in the textiles. Six years later she moved to Mfuwe, a more accessible area with more development and infrastructure. From that point on, the company was growing and has now a workforce of over 100 Zambians involved in the lengthy process of producing one of these stunning painted pieces of fabric. 

  

Traditional Zulu Beadwork

If you have travelled in South Africa and spent some time in the province of KwaZulu Natal, you might have seen some of the colorful beadwork, the artistic pride of the Zulu people.    

Traditional Zulu beadwork was at one time far more than just a decorative art of weaving small glass beads into beautiful patterns. Designs and colors were selected and combined in various ways to create messages that helped regulate the behaviour between individuals of opposite gender. Zulu beadwork was and is designed and made exclusively by women, but worn by both sexes.

The bead code was and still is deceptively simple. It utilizes one geometric figure, the triangle and seven colors. The three corners of the triangle represent the father, the mother and the child of a family. When the point of the triangle is facing down the symbol stands for an unmarried man or boy, while the opposite is the symbol for an unmarried women or girl. The seven colours used are black, blue, yellow, green, pink, red and white. Each colour has two meanings, one positive, one negative, except white which stands for purity and love. When another color is used next to white it takes its positive meaning. Blue, white and black bands are a standard combination to show marriage.  

A visit to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

We just returned from the Highlands of Guatemala where we visited with "Maya Traditions", known locally as "Fundacion Tradiciones Mayas" in Panajachel.  Founded in 1998 by the late "Jane Mintz" (1943 - 2009), a social worker and weaver from California, the Foundation provides much needed assistance to the Maya people in the region surrounding Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. 

Currently the foundation works with six community weaving groups that produce the beautiful fair trade backstrap loom purses and scarves that  we offer on World Travel Art and expanded over the years into education, community health and artisan workshops next to maintaining a beautiful medical herb garden.   

We had the opportunity to visit one of the weavers' groups about one hour drive outside of Panajachel in a remote highland village called K'iche. Five women initially joined forces together to find a way to make a living in a remote location like K'iche. Currently the group has 10 women and they are able to earn a consistent income while caring for their children, livestock and crops. All of the women do participate in the Foundations' health and education projects.  

Backstrap weaving is a symbol of the life of a Maya woman. With the loom strapped around her waist and the other end tied to a tree or post, the weaver is an integral part of the loom and virtually connected to her craft. We are grateful for having the opportunity of working with this wonderful foundation and though we had not known Jane in person, her spirit was present everywhere we went through our visit. 

Moroccan Thuya Wood

Thuya Wood Tree

One of our best selling items on www.worldtravelart.com is a handcrafted Moroccan Puzzle Box made from aromatic Thuya Wood. (Tetraclinis Articulata).

The coniferous, small evergreen tree is unique to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in North West Africa and gives off an aromatic odour for protection from parasites. It is one of only a small number of conifers able to re-grow by sprouting from the stumps, an adaptation to survive wildfire and moderate browsing by animals.

Moroccan Puzzle Box

For centuries, Thuya wood has been used for decorative woodwork, particularly wood from burls at the base of the trunk. Due to Thuya wood's limited supply and careful policy of sustainability, the focus is to produce smaller items like the puzzle boxes and in controlled quantities. The unique blend of burled grain in the wood gives a magnificent appearance and sets Thuya wood apart from other woods.

Artisans in Morocco are traditionally organised in souks that specialise in a specific skill such as wood carving, pottery, leather work amongst others. The traditional skills have been handed down from generation to generation.   

Backstrap Loom Woven Purses

The word "loom" (from middle English lome, "tool") is applied to any set of devices permitting a warp to be tensioned and a shed to be formed. Looms exist in great variety. Even though the backstrap loom is basic and humble, some of history's most beautiful and complex textiles have been woven on this simple arrangement of sticks.

Guatemala is one of several countries where this small, portable, and inexpensive loom is still very much a tradition and in use today. It is said that the Mayan goddess Ixchel gave the art of weaving to her people. Today's Mayan descendants still make use of that gift in generating beautiful textiles, accessories and woven bags for the local and international market.

The primary feature of the backstrap loom is that the lengthwise threads (warp) are stretched from a fixed device such as a post or tree to a belt that a person wears around the waist. By backing away from the post or tree the threads are pulled into tension.

The device that provides a method of separating the warp threads into two parts is called a "rigid heddle". It is basically two more sticks strategically placed in the middle that allow the weaver to manipulate the warps, move the heddle up or down to separate the threads vertically forming what is called a shed. The weft threads need to be packed tightly which is don with a beater which is often a comb.   

In the western highlands of Guatemala the Mayan women typically used cotton yarn for their weavings and natural plants from their area to dye the yarn various colors. They still dye yarn by hand but also buy cotton yarn that's already been dyed.

The backstrap loom can make different widths of fabric. If a textile or cloth needs to be wider than what can be woven two pieces or more are joined together with heavy embroidery stitches. An example of this would be the skirt of the Mayan women, which if hand-woven would have pieces joined with embroidered stitches.  

Visit our site for sturday backstrap loom fabric woven bags from Guatemala. A blend of indigenous weaving technique and contemporary color and design concepts.

 

The Batik Process

Batik is one of the earliest known ways to decorate fabrics. Traditional methods use wax and dyes to produce an image. Batik images or effects are achieved through the principle of wax and water repelling each other, called resist dyeing.   

African batik designs are often symbolic to the African culture, animals, village life, dancing and playing traditional instruments. The design can be as complicated or simple as the artist's desire.

Since batik is a method of painting a "negative space", the two Mozambique artists featured,  have to envision the complete design in-between shapes and figures or draw the design on the fabric before starting the actual process.

The first step is to pour or paint hot wax on selected areas of the fabric and let it dry. Then the dye is applied to the un-waxed areas. With a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps, the individual colors of the batik are applied. After the last application the fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax and reveal the vibrant colors and fine crinkle lines that give the batik additional character. The entire process of making a batik can take up to 2-3 days.  

No batik will ever be the same. African wax batiks are made from 100% cotton. Framed or unframed, batiks with their gorgeous colors will enhance any room in your home or office. 

African batiks are easily cared for. Simply sponge down with a damp cloth to keep them dust free. You may as well iron the reverse side on a very low temperature. 

See our batik collection on www.worldtravelart.com

 

Traditional Zulu Baskets

South Africa is famous for its tightly woven Zulu baskets and you can feel the mystery and essence of Africa in each handmade basket. Functional, beautiful, unique in size, shape and pattern, the baskets are made from indigenous raw materials. The fronds of the Ilala Palm (Hyphaene Coriacea) are used to weave the fine baskets and dyes of vegetable origin such as roots, berries, bark and leaves are used to color the palm.

Following into the footsteps of their mothers and grandmothers, girls learn to weave at early age. Passing down the craft has not only preserved it to this day but made the weaving of baskets a source of income to families living in the hills of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

The variety of traditional Zulu baskets goes from open bowls to bulb shaped watertight Zulu Beer baskets, bottle shaped watertight baskets, herb baskets or canister baskets. Each is unique and will add real African flavor to your home decor or table setting.

African Soapstone Carvings

Soapstone is a metamorphic stone (also known as soaprock or Kisii stone) similar to talc. It has been a medium for carving for thousands of years. Kenya soapstone is found in the Gusii highlands in the western part of the country, near Lake Victoria and the town of Tabaka is the heart of soapstone crafts.

Mind by hand from surface mines, large stones are pulled by a team of workers and cleaved into smaller pieces for carving. The stone is then delivered to carvers who carve sculptures from the natural stone. The stone color ranges from cream, to pink, to brown, to yellow, to black, to a marbling of all of them. The carvers used to make mostly wild animal figurines, but have started creating contemporary abstracts, candle holders, bookends, domestic figurines like cats and dogs to name a few for export. The entire process is done with simple hand tools and no machinery is ever used.

Once carved, the craftspeople smooth rough edges with sandpaper dipped in water and polish the piece to a high gloss or paint African motifs in brilliant colors with etched designs that showcase modern African creativity.

Click here for World Travel Art Soapstone Carvings