We have been amazed by the amount of interest shown in our little wooden tubs, so we thought we would tell you a bit more about the very gentle man who makes them. This is Mr Elias Stanley, (holding our youngest when he had crazy baby hair). Mr Stanleys father and grandfather were wood carvers, living in the rural south of Malawi. We met him when demand for carved curios was at an all-time low, and large pieces of wood were hard to find due to deforestation by the charcoal and timber industry, (carvers in Malawi use very little wood by comparison). We started working with Mr Stanley to make more practical products that used wood discarded by the timber mills, including tubs for the balms and body butters we were making in Malawi. He also started making carved baobab shells, buttons and pendants, which he still sends to buyers in the UK, and he trains young carvers to help him make these items. Leaving Mr Stanley was one of the most difficult parts about our decision to leave Malawi to come to South Africa, and we miss working with him on new ideas. But we are happy to say that he is doing well, working with people we connected him with before we left, and is still making wooden tubs for us - although getting them to South Africa can be tricky, as the parcels have to get through both Mozambique and Zimbabwe before they reach us.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 12:51:42 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015