Meet the artisans below! Find out which artisan made your craft on the tag included with each product.

Twitezimbere Agaseke Cooperative

We Develop Ourselves Through Baskets Cooperative

The weavers of Twitezimbere Agaseke Cooperative specialize in creating bags using knotted banana twine. The process is a long one: first, the artisans prepare the banana leaves. Then they twist pieces of leaf together, always making sure that the shiny part of the leaf remains on the outside of the twist. They are adept at joining the pieces of banana leaf together to create one long piece of twine. The twine-making process requires days of work before the artisans can actually begin creating their bags.

The cooperative members meet periodically on the grounds of their local health center. They sit together on mats, legs stretched straight out in front of them. and chat as they knot their twine into bags.

Violette, whose photo is featured here, is a gifted artisan whose crafting is of the highest quality. She is also the creator of the group’s most popular bag, and crafts new samples with creativity and excellence.

Currently Creating… Banana Twine Bags, sold in Rwanda