Josiane Hanta Bakoly Razafintsalama Ramanitra1st laureate of the UNESCO Crafts Prize 2002
I got talking with a craftsman yesterday who is helping a village in Kenya to develop a leather working craft. I suggested that he consider encouraging them to market their products internationally. I am writing him an email identifying some resources that might help in such an effort, and it occurred to me that others might be interested. Here then is that content:
The Development Gateway provides resources for a community interested in culture and development. Here is its website:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/culture
On the right column of the page you will find a key issue called "production and marketing of cultural products". Click on that and you get a long list of resources. The list is here:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/culture/rc/BrowseContent.do~source=RCContentUser~folderId=3762
That list now has more than 800 items, so let me recommend some that are especially interesting with respect to e-commerce of crafts.
UNESCO has a program to support crafts people in developing countries, including offering a craft prize:
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/admin/ev.php?URL_ID=2460&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201
Aid to Artisans is supposed to be a very good organization. It provides help to people trying to do craft work for international markets.
http://aidtoartisans.org/
Design for the World is another similar organization, but I don't know much about it:
http://www.designfortheworld.org/
The Pangea Artisan Market and Café is related to the International Finance Corporation, with its site in their building. It too markets crafts from developing nations:
http://www.pangeamarket.com/
http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/media.nsf/Content/PangeaCafe_Opens
SERRV International imports crafts from developing nations, and distributes them through a network of stores in the United States. Many of the distributers are church related.
http://www.agreatergift.org/Default.aspx
Overstock.com runs a site called Worldstock Handcrafted, selling crafts from developing nations online. I understand that it is a part of the company’s social responsibility program.
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=DEPLIST&dep_id=91
Here is a source for help from the Canadian government:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/arts/menu-en.asp
PeopLink in the past offered a free software package for people in developing nations who wanted to build an online catelog and sell crafts online. The website suggests now that they provide website design services based on that software and do some online sales of crafts. If you simply want access to the software, you might contact them:
http://www.peoplink.org/EN/
This is a guide to creating a free online store for crafts:
http://blog.floatingatoll.nu//2004/09/one_hour_from_n.html
And this: National Craft Association Resource Center: Internet Tools
http://www.craftassoc.com/rcomp.html
African Arts and Crafts
http://www.homemade-handmade.com/HmPg/IFA/africa_arts_and_crafts.htm
Check out "Life in Africa" which used to be interesting, but is now revising its website.
http://lifeinafrica.com/
2 comments:
I went to a store in Raleigh, NC last week called Ten Thousand Villages (http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/). They have over 130 stores in the US and Canada. We bought some nice gifts there and I would recommend the store. They participate in Fair Trade, etc. But I would like to know more how these organizations work.....Is this movement towards marketing crafts from developing countries making a big dent? Or is this just tinkering around the edges? Are the artists getting there fair share?
There is a Ten Thousand Villages store in Rockville, where I live. It has interesting merchandise and good prices. I have not investigated how much actually gets to the developing country workers, but take on faith that it is doing them some good.
I think that the selling of crafts produced in poor countries in the United States and other rich countries benefits only a small number of producers in developing nations, but one village pulled out of poverty is a good thing!
It is not bad for us, too. We enrich our lives with their crafts, and understand the world a little better, while keeping craft traditions alive in other countries.
The craftsman I talked to plans to train one apprentice here, who will return to Kenya to train others. With luck, the effort could trigger the development of a cluster of microenterprises in a village. That is a great thing for an individual with limited means to accomplish. It millions of us would follow his example, and each seek to improve the life in one village, each using his or her own skills and abilities to do so, the world would be a better place!
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