Injabulo Blog
News & updates from Injabulo, a UK specialist supplier of Fairtrade African Baskets from Ghana and South Africa. Unique handmade baskets
Incomparable Ceramic Buttons – Made and Painted by Hand
Most of the Incomparable team had never held a paintbrush before they joined the company and are now absolute masters of their brushes and justifiably proud of their work. The ladies sense of belonging within the company and skills as crafters not only gives them tremendous pleasure but also working under Fair Trade policies provides them with economic empowerment and has uplif...[Read More]
Our beautiful Sponsor Children at Pebbles Project
Click on the link to find out the latest news about these two adorable children. Thando & Logan
Zulu Baskets – A natural touch of colour
Zulu Baskets are made using Ilala palm which grows along the North Eastern coast of Kwa Zulu Natal. Once cut and dried, the leaf is then prepared for weaving into fine, often watertight, baskets. The natural shade of the Ilala palm is cream and all other colours are obtained by boiling roots, berries, leaves and the bark of indigenous flora. Many are seasonal. Brown/Black (I...[Read More]
Bolgatanga Baskets
The Bolga basket evolved out of woven instruments for farming, particularly sieves, which were perfectly round and without handles. Sieves were woven to brew the local alcohol, Pito. Pito was, and still is, a ceremonial alcoholic drink brewed from millet and guinea corn (sorghum) and drunk from shared calabashes at marriage ceremonies, funerals, festivals, and baby naming cerem...[Read More]
Why Bolga Baskets Come from Bolga
Have you ever wondered why something is made in a specific place and then gives it it’s name? Well, in terms of the Bolga Basket, there are of course some very good reasons why this distinctive colourful basket came to be. The main reason for basket weaving in this region is due to the poor fertility of the soil around Bolgatanga, making it unsuitable for extensive agricu...[Read More]
The Story Behind Zulu Beer Baskets
Traditionally the Zulu Beer Basket is used to store the home brew beer made by the Zulus. They are woven in such a way that when the weave gets wet it expands and becomes watertight. Decorative beer baskets were made for special events and purposes e.g. Marriage, Harvest, Fertility and Birth Celebrations and as gifts for family or special friends. In terms of traditional marria...[Read More]
How Telephone Wire Baskets Came To Be
The iconic African Telephone Wire Basket combines traditional skills with modern materials. Hand-woven from the rim down, using both bare and plastic-coated wires, the baskets with colourful swirling patterns are mainly produced by men, the highly skilled Zulu craftsmen. Intricately woven, these urban versions of the grass and palm bowls originally made “back home” ...[Read More]
