I made my monthly pilgrimage to the Rosebowl flea yesterday, due to the time change I got there later than I normally do, which was not fun. It was hot, crowded and the ATM machines were broken so I waited in line for an hour to get some cash. Oy. Right before I was about to leave empty-handed (and frustrated) I came across these colorful coiled baskets. To my surprise and delight they were $15 each so I snatched up 5 of them. The man who sold them to me told me that they are from the Republic of Burundi, a region of East Africa, bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The colors and patterns mesmerized me. Picking which five I wanted was not easy.
As soon as I got home I hung them in our living room. Now I’m determined to fill that whole portion of the wall with baskets. If you’re looking for similar baskets I found some by searching “coiled African Baskets” on Etsy. Also, some kind readers pointed out there there are some great resources for African baskets of various types that also support the African women that weave the baskets — try IndegoAfrica, Baskets of Africa and Justhandmaidens. Happy start to the week!!
xxJ
Beautiful finds!
Hello Justina;
Love your website and love your work. In general you and your team are awesome. I am an East African (Uganda) living in the US and I love these baskets and have some on my wall too. I was wondering if you could highlight some websites where we can buy these baskets where proceeds from a purchase are used empower Burundian women
Thank you
Hi Janet!
Thanks for the note! If you have any recommendations for great sites that sell these and support Burundian women I’d love to learn about them! We can update the post here with more resources. Thank you!!
I only know of one website thus far but the baskets are from Rwanda. It is indegoafrica.org (no I am absolutely not affliated with them at all). For African baskets similar to these ones, I recommend basketsofafrica.com
Hope that helps.
Janet
I did the rose bowl for the first time yesterday and I had no idea it was such a zoo…… (can you tell I’m not from LA?)
how did i miss these gorgeous bowls……..
have you ever posted tips for doing the rose bowl? i’m sure you’re an expert at navigating it. i was overwhelmed before i even parked my car. then the first item i picked up after i finally got inside (stupid ATM line) was way outside of my budget. sigh.
I love collection of baskets! Good finds. Love the colorful ones!
What a great deal!!! I love the green ones. I want to do a wall like this over my bed, but every time I find hesetheyre pretty expensive. Kicking myself I didn’t get a bunch when I was in Africa
I love the look of a basket gallery wall but i’m so confused on how to hang them. What do you do to mount them to the wall?
Thanks!!
so these actually had small loops on the back for hanging — but when they don’t come with that, you can create a loop with a small piece of wire (even a paper clip can work). Just weave it through the front discreetly–then simply use a nail or pushpin to hang.
Those are absolutely gorgeous baskets. Really makes me want to go to Burundi! I have a lot of Africa still left to do :)
Anwar | http://www.beyondmyfrontdoor.com/
I have a basket from “the women of Rwanda” which has this look in turquoise and white. I have often thought a wall of them would be fabulous, but have never seen anymore. I love what you have started, so keep going.
4th time trying to comment now…
Hi Justina! :)
Check this site out:
http://justhandmaidens.com.au/home/
This place supports the women makers of various impoverished places around the world. Often, it is these women that hold it together when the going gets tough; so we can help them, with all proceeds going to the women who make the beautiful hand crafts.
Rusty x
Yaaay! It finally worked. Glitch in the system??
These are beautiful! We are in the process of adopting from Burundi and filling out home with pieces of our daughter’s home country is goal. :)
Thanks for the links, too! Supporting women in developing countries is always a complete bonus!
Hi Justina, I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw your beautiful baskets on pinterest with the word Burundi as I am from Burundi myself. I have about 9 baskets myself that I have put on the wall and they look very nice. I wanted to get more but it involves a lot of logistics to get them over to Canada. So thank you for the different websites, I will check them out. Btw, Burundi/Rwanda baskets are almost the same. Thanks so much for supporting those women. Hope some of the proceeds return to them somehow.
P.S: The baskets were very cheap!!
We just started importing baskets from Burundi and they are making their way to our website for purchase. I really appreciate you showcasing the baskets. There are beautiful, high quality products all over Africa made by artisans who could really use the income from increased sales, and it helps a bit every time someone like you shines a light on them.
https://www.tangozuluimports.com/other-african-baskets/