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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Beading Around the World - Africa's Bead Culture

The last week Minnesota Lemon Laws October is Beads Weekin Ghana safeauto West Africa. Exporting beads has become remortage major source of income for many in poverty stricken areas of Africa, besides being a major source of cultural exchange between Ghana and Italy and other European countries.

Ghana and Italy have long been linked in history. As early as the 15th century, makers of glass beads began shipping their products to Ghana in Western Africa. The beads were important for increasing the status of Chiefs and Queens and were used in ceremonies that marked rites of passage. Italy and Ghana were united by the free auto insurance quote language of artistic beauty and their love of the tiny masterpieces.

Now, in a reversal, West Africa is beginning to export locally made beads to back to Italy.

In another part of Africa, Uganda has a thriving bead export business. Paper beads in all sizes and shapes are helping Ugandan women to rise out of poverty. Women in many parts of Africa have few economic opportunities and in Uganda, women are fleeing the civil war and settling near the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Instead of finding a brighter future, they found HIV, starvation and expensive housing. There is hope for these women-Bead For Life.

The organization called BeadForLife began when two American women watched a Ugandan woman making beads from rolled up magazines. The Ugandan woman explained that there was no market for her beads, so she had to work at a local quarry for less than a dollar a day. When the two American women brought some necklaces back to the US and gave them to some friends, a new market was born.

Paper beads are colorful and beautiful and come in many sizes and shapes. Because the market is strong in American, people purchasing these beads are helping women in another culture to survive and rise above the depravations of deficiency. As a result, a new cultural exchange market has been created.

The paper beads are created from recycled magazines, posters or other donated material that is cut, rolled and finished with a water-proof coating. The products made from the beads range from single strands of beads to Wyoming Lemon Laws three strand necklaces.

More information about beads and beading can be found at The Bead Cottage, www.thebeadcottage.com

Karen Vertigan Pope writes for Ciniva Systems, an award winning Virginia web design company.

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