Beyond the Safari Marketplace! To browse through our products, click on the name of the category below that you'd like to see. To change categories, return to the marketplace using the menu bar at the top and select a new category. Most of our products are handcrafted, so please expect slight variations in color and form. Check back with us often, because we add new products regularly! | |||
 | These light-weight, brightly colored cotton textiles are manufactured in Zanzibar and used throughout East Africa for everything imaginable. Traditionally women wear them as wrap-around skirts, head wraps, or shawls. Women select them for the unique Swahili saying at the bottom of each kanga, in order to send messages to their husbands, friends or competitors. Kangas also make great tablecloths, furniture coverings, picnic blankets, beach cover-ups, and more! | ||
 | These naturally colored, mat baskets are hand woven by Maasai women in the lake region of Northern Tanzania. They use a technique known as ususi, which is similar to the method they use to plait their own hair. Attractive yet sturdy, these baskets are great for organizing home offices, closets, bathrooms, or for storing magazines and other close-at-hand items. | ||
 | African women are famous for the exotic yet natural way they adorn their faces and bodies. Like many other elements of African life, their jewelry is not only beautiful but it is also symbolic. These necklaces will bring a touch of fun and flare to your wardrobe. | ||
 | African masks play an important role in ceremonial African culture. They are both an art form and a symbolic tool used in religous and other festive rituals. Each mask represents a different spirit or ancestor and is thought to bridge the gap between the material and spiritual worlds. Masks are considered sacred and are used to establish authority within a community, to exorcise evil spirits, or to help harness supernatural forces. | ||
 | Exquisitely handcarved and polished, these animal carvings are made from ebony wood harvested from regulated forests throughout East Africa. Each piece beautifully conveys the grace, elegance, and personality of the African animal it represents. These pieces are mostly the work of Munga Stey, who is from the Maasai tribe and runs a small carving workshop in Northern Tanzania. Munga works in conjunction with several other artisans, doing much of the carving and all of the finishing work. Alone or in a collection, these beautiful pieces bring life to any mantlepiece or coffee table. | ||
 | Handmade wax batik paintings are a celebrated artform throughout East Africa. They are made by painting melted wax onto a cloth before dipping it into different color dyes. The dye only colors the parts of the cloth that are not covered by the wax; in this way a multi-colored painting is created. | ||
 | Made from the bark of the boabob tree, these bags are more finely woven than their sisal counterparts. Their earthy colors and distinctive patterns are recognized by the seasoned traveller as a unique mark of East Africa. | ||