Give Fair Trade

This holiday season, there's a movement underway to get people to buy fair trade. It was initiated by Global Exchange, but they've now teamed up with the Fair Trade Federation, religious groups and others to spread the word.

They are asking people to take the fair trade pledge which involves buying fair trade and getting involved in other ways, such as joining a Fair Trade listserv. A number of us have been featured in their blog. You can get to the Venture Imports blog, and to all of their other wonderful information, by clicking on this link:

http://givefairtrade.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/ventureimports/

The Mlambo Brothers Create Stone Sculptures

Taurai Ralph Mlambo grew up in Honde Valley in Zimbabwe. His father taught him how to sculpt, and now he carves with his two younger brothers, Tichaona and Elton. It is fitting that their favorite carving is the “ukama,” which means “family” in Shona.

The Shona pieces are created out of serpentine stone which ranges in color from brown and caramel to black and green. This natural variance in stone color, as well as the creativity of the artists, ensures that each piece is completely unique.

To create the pieces, the brothers first go to the bush to search for the most beautiful stones. I have asked them to find particularly colorful stones because a striking stone really sets a piece apart. To an untrained eye, the stones they find might not look like anything. In the bush they are white. If you were to dump water on the stone, however, you would see a glimpse of what it would become once it was polished because when the stone is wet, you can see its natural colors.

After choosing their stones, the Mlambo brothers chip and chisel the rough shape of the piece using simple hand tools. Then they begin the task of sanding, using finer and finer sand paper until at last they wet sand the piece to make it as smooth as possible.

When the piece is fully formed, they warm it by a fire before coating it with Cobra wax polish. They continue to add the wax to the piece as it cools. I'm no geology major, but something about warming the stone allows the wax to sink in and to bring out the natural colors of the stone.

Often the artists like to leave part of the sculpture in its natural, unpolished state. This gives a nice contrast to the piece, and also alludes to the work that went into it.

Zimbabwe’s political situation has made it difficult for many of its citizens to survive. The unemployment rate in 2009 was 95%, the average life expectancy 47, and 68% of the population lives below the poverty line. Selling sculptures has allowed Taurai to provide for his wife Constance and son Emanuel.