I had the humble opportunity to do a photoshoot of Maasai women doing their craft, beading at Sentrim Hotels & Lodges in Amboseli. The project was facilitated by one Shop Kazana, a platform for the globally conscious shopper to seek and purchase products/accessories made by unsung, resilient and industrious women of East Africa.
Kazana is a social enterprise founded with the belief that if we, the global community, combined our efforts and worked diligently to support the enterprises of women entrepreneurs in Africa, we would shift the economic needle towards a fairer and more just world – a world that accords women their rightful seat at the decision-making table and gives them an opportunity to contribute effectively to the betterment of their families and communities.
Kazana seeks to celebrate and recognize these unheralded women entrepreneurs by introducing them and their work to the socially conscious consumer.
The Maasai woman is talented with a craft like no other. She diligently works hard to produce state of the art beads but does she gain from her sweat? Is she even recognized for her work or is her art sold on popular stores worldwide? Does she remain a poor woman whose art is stolen by those with intellect and power? Will she trudge on thorns and bare rock, rich in brains but poor in sight? The story about the voiceless industrious Maasai woman is about to change.
