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Blog / African Culture

Enter the World of the Makonde Shetani

There has been resurgence in the popularity of African art, especially when it comes to wood carvings and traditional African works of art. When most people envision African art, they are quite often thinking about the beautiful hand carvings created by the Makonde of Tanzania and Mozambique.
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Fascinating Artisans of the Bazaruto Archipelago of Mozambique

The Bazaruto Archipelago is a region in Mozambique consisting of a group of six islands, just off the mainland coast of Southeast Africa.
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The Tuareg: Nomadic Silver Craftsmen of Africa

Tuareg culture is rich in history and tradition. A semi-nomadic Berber people, the Tuareg inhabit a large area of the middle and western Sahara and travel throughout Algeria, Mali, Niger and as far as Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Nigeria. In fact, Tuareg people don't perceive the Sahara as one desert, but as many. They call the Sahara "Tinariwen" which means "the deserts". The Tuareg language is spoken by more than 1 million people. Extraordinary silversmiths, the Tuareg produce some of the most unique silver jewelry  in the world. 

Shopping for a unique piece of jewelry that will turn heads? Well, look no further. Zawadee carries a large collection of beautiful and elegant silver jewelry handcrafted by the Tuareg people. Check out our unique collection of eclectic silver necklaces, pendants, and earrings. 

The Fascinating Life of the Tuareg People

The Tuareg are a fiercely independent people who maintain their Berber ways. They produce stunning jewelry in bold and simplistic designs - very geometric and symmetrical. They believe that silver is the metal of the prophet and, in fact, Tuareg women often have a superstitious fear of gold and will not wear it.

Silver is a part of every family history, as it holds both symbolic and real value and is used for barter and trading.  Unique jewelry made from silver and often combined with other items collected along their travels, such as gemstones, rare woods and other fascinating materials.

The Tuareg People in Pop Culture

  • In 2003, Volkswagen named their new SUV line the Touareg (a common alternative spelling).

  • The 2005 film Sahara features a group of Tuareg

  • Spanish author Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa's novel Tuareg (1980) sold more than 5,000,000 copies and was adapted into a 1984 movie starring Mark Harmon entitled Tuareg – The Desert Warrior

Much of the Tuareg peoples’ cultural and artistic identity and resourceful and inventive spirit is expressed in their jewelry, as well as, leather and metal saddle decorations and swords. However, they have become known globally for their skill in jewelry making, primarily for their silver jewelry designs.

Necklaces worn by a Tuareg woman often depict her history and the story of her people, as well as her city of origin.

Each piece of Tuareg silver jewelry has special meaning. Each piece contains a message and historical symbols, which are passed down from generation to generation. Showcasing the intricate use of design in their silversmithing techniques, our Azel Collection will be sure to have that "must-have piece" to set off your fall and winter wardrobe. A wonderful choice as a holiday gift, or - what the dickins - to please yourself!

 

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Exploring the Global Migrations of African Peoples

Our blog series exploring the peoples and cultures of Africa has been such a success with our readers, we thought you might be interested in a series of publications available from the Harriet Tubman Institute - about the Global Migrations of African Peoples. We have found these publications to be immensely interesting as we learn about where African people migrated to (willingly or unwillingly) and, more positively, about the tremendous influences in music, arts and customs they brought to bear.

We enjoy learning about and celebrating the positive effects of the African Diaspora. It has made us look at art, music and cuisine differently. We have come to more readily recognize the sounds, the sights and the tastes of Africa that are all around us! Especially pertinent to our recent blog - The Yoruba of Sub-Saharan Africa, is the publication seen above - The Yoruba Diaspora is the Atlantic World . There are many other publications currently available and a list of upcoming publications as well. "The Harriet Tubman Series explores the African Diaspora in historical and contemporary times. It is named after Harriet Tubman (c. 1820-1913), who as a young woman fled slavery to help others escape to Canada on the Underground Railroad and subsequently fought in the U.S. Civil War to end slavery. The Tubman Series examines all aspects of the global migrations of African peoples, whether under conditions of slavery, or more recently as a product of the postcolonial conditions of the global society." Don't miss any of our articles, blogs, updates or recipes! Sign up for email updates.

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