Here we collect stories of the people behind the crafts. The inspiration, the lives, the struggles, the victories. The humans that are behind the 'things' you buy. You find our videos here, and statements of some of our artisans.
Further reading in our Blog: Threads of Stories.
Basket weaving - fineweave
The kind crew @Bigstylemediahouse made this very beautiful video of our basket weaver Gladys malemba.
Gladys shows you her homestead and the secrets of traditional Taita basketweaving and tells you what basket weaving means to her… Watch the beautiful video. African basket weaving - the story of Gladys Malemba (3 minutes).
sisal Basket weaving - practical weave
in 2020 we collaborated with the Ethical Fashion initiative to make the natural sisal baskets for a popular handbag for the Australian fashion brand MIMCO.
They also made a beautiful video showcasing our womengroups, work and impact. You see our artisans making the sisal baskets that we call ‘practical weave’. Watch it here!
Maasai beadwork
Juma Majanga made a powerful documentary featuring our work with the Maasai beading artisans. This documentary sheds light on the impact of climate change on our beading Maasai community and the change in gender roles it brings. It really shows the importance of beadwork to the livelihoods of the Maasai community we work with.
Watch the video here or on the Voices of America (VOA) website/youtube channel : Kenya changing gender roles.
Baskets with recycled plastic
The gemstone mine ‘classic gems’ on Kutima ranch in Tsavo, collects their plastic string waste from the mine and transports it to the women’s group. Our artisans give the plastic twine a second life - weaving it into a practical weave basket together with sisal. The story behind recycled african baskets (2mins).
baskets as an alternative livelihood for nature conservation
A 2022 netflix video explaining what Wildlife Works does in Tsavo and how. This is a great brief documentary showing the bigger picture - of which Hadithi Crafts is a small but significant chapter. We love how they managed to capture and explain Wildlife Works!
Enhancing women’s agency Kasigau
Agnettah is one of our three Community liaison officers at Hadithi Crafts. She answers a few questions here to explain what Hadithi Crafts does, what challenges women in our community face and what Hadithi Crafts can do to help overcome them.