Necklace Pendant Horn Brass Beads

Necklace Pendant Horn Brass Beads
The Product
Bone and Horn: Bone and horn have long been used throughout the world to
create many decorative handicrafts and practical products. As eco-friendly
resources, no animals are killed to harvest these materials. Rather, they are the
by-product of dead cattle, camels and water buffalo that would otherwise go to
waste. Even the powder generated from preparing the horn is recycled and
used as fertilizer in nearby fields.
To create items such as jewellery, vases and other decorative products out of
these raw materials, artisans first clean the horn thoroughly, smooth its rough
surface on a sanding wheel, and cut it to the desired size. The carver, sitting
cross-legged on the ground, then places the horn between his/her toes in order
to freely carve the piece by hand using homemade horn mallets and chisels.
Buffed, polished, and often stained a variety of colours, bone and horn
products have a lovely and inviting lustre.
The Artisan Group: <strong>Atelier de Formation et
de Promotion des Artisans</strong>
Necklace Pendant Horn Brass
Beads
Travel the world with each visit
to Ten Thousand Villages.
Learn how Fair Trade really
makes a difference. Our goal is to
provide vital, fair income to
artisans by marketing their
handicrafts and telling their
stories in North America. Ten
Thousand Villages sells product
from more than 30 countries,
providing work for nearly 60,000
people around the world.
Mennonite Central Committee is a relief, development
and peace agency of the North American Mennonite
and Brethren in Christ churches, with programs in
more than 50 countries. MCC West Africa works with
more than 400 artisans from 20 workshops in and
around the capital city of Ouagadougou (pronounced
Wah-ga-doó-goo) and Bobo Dioulasso, the economic
center of Burkina Faso. Fifteen percent of the
organization's sales are local while 85 percent are for export. Sissao Hamidou, a local art instructor,
acts as liaison between MCC and artisans working at the Atelier de Formation et de Promotion des Artisans and le Village
Artisanal de Ouagadougou, which has showcased the work of Burkinabe artisans since 2000. The village provides a forum
for 300 artisans working in 25 different trades. Sissao ensures that the artisans most in need are given orders and that
payments are fair. MCC West Africa has other involvements in Burkina Faso, including training in water conservation and
sustainable agriculture, and support for AIDS outreach programmes.
Le Comité central mennonite (le MCC) est une agence d’aide et de développement des églises mennonites et frères en Christ
de l’Amérique du Nord, qui supervise des programmes dans plus de 50 pays. Le MCC Afrique de l'Ouest travaille avec 400
artisans, d’une vingtaine d’ateliers, dans et autour de la capitale de Ouagadougou (qui se prononce Wa-ga-dou-gou) et de
Bobo Dioulasso, le centre économique du Burkina Faso. Quinze pour cent des ventes de l’organisation se font au niveau
local, tandis que 85 % sont des exportations. Sissao Hamidou, un artisan de la région, sert de lien entre le MCC et les artisans
travaillant au Atelier de Formation et de Promotion des Artisans et pour le village artisanal de Ouagadougou, qui présente les
œuvres d’artisans burkinabés depuis 2000. Sissao s'assure que les artisans qui sont le plus dans le besoin reçoivent des
commandes et qu'ils soient payés équitablement. Le village fournit un forum à plus de 300 artisans travaillant dans 25
domaines différents. Le MCC Afrique de l'Ouest participe à d'autres projets au Burkina Faso, comme des formations en
conservation de l'eau et en agriculture durable, et soutien des programmes d'aide en matière de sida.
The Country: Burkina Faso
Located in the heart of West Africa, Burkina Faso stands at the crossroads of several ancient trade routes. A relatively dry
tropical savannah, the country shares its northern border with the Sahara and its southern border with Ghana. Unlike its
neighbour to the south, however, Burkina Faso has few natural resources, limited rainfall and no coastal access.
Since Independence from France in 1960, Burkina Faso has been one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 177 out
of 182 countries in the United Nations 2009 Human Development Index. Social indicators are very low: 46 percent of the
population lives below the poverty line; gross primary school enrolment is only 29 percent; and literacy sits at 23 percent,
making Burkina Faso the most illiterate country in Africa. HIV/AIDS also presents a tremendous challenge to development.
Although only 10 percent of the land in Burkina Faso is arable, roughly 90 percent of Burkinabè depend on farming for a
living. Soil erosion – largely due to deforestation, overgrazing and drought – continues to allow the encroachment of the
Sahara desert. Next to cotton, Burkina Faso’s largest export is perhaps its people, millions of whom work in neighbouring
countries while sending money home to their families. Tensions in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana over this issue have resulted in
the expulsion of thousands of migrants and the loss of seasonal jobs for hundreds of thousands more.
Despite these challenges, Burkina Faso is proudly optimistic and leads the way in the renaissance of West-African art and
culture. The highly-regarded Pan-African Film and Television Festival is held annually in the capital of Ouagadougou.
During this event, the country also hosts one of the continent’s most important African handicraft fairs, the International Art
and Craft Fair.