Ivory coloured extract from the nut of a shea tree(vitellaria Paradoxa) found in the dry savannah belt of Africa. Nigeria the leading producer of this commodity, produces a capacity of 500,000 metric tons annually
The products are made from domestic animal hides e.g. cow, goats, sheep. Some of the products are made from calabashes and other available local materials. The artisans making the drums have to make sure the hide is dry and well treated to avoid insects eating into the drum products.
The above products are made by a group in Nairobi province. The production place is packed with a beehive entrepreneurial activities where intermingling of the people from all part of the city is the order of the day. Like any other place in the world where a high interaction of people from all walks of life takes place, instances of mugging, beggary, petty crimes, theft from the car, pick pockets e.t.c. is inevitable. We do therefore advise our customers during such visit to be careful with their personal effects just like what they would do in other part of the world with a high interaction of people
The traditional pots are made by women group based in Nyanza and Central provinces of Kenya. The special raw materials used are all sourced locally. . The product is rooted to the African culture as a domestic utensil. However, new patterns or design in line with peoples cultural background is evident from the wide range of utility pottery product available.
With the increasing export demand of pottery product as a handy product for domestic use, more and more producer groups are taking the trade as an important source of income which is in turn also enabling us to promote pottery utility items in line with our African cultural heritage. However, it is important to add that the products are made according to indigenous labour intensive methods using local materials. It is also important to stress here that these traditional African pottery product are environmental friendly and non-harmful. They have been in use for centuries.
