| The Handicraft Center |
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| The Handicraft Center promotes the traditional arts
and culture of Dschang and its surrounding communities.
The Center was founded in 2000 by
Fonwouo, a talented and articulate basket maker, artist, and teacher. The
center has been moved to Bahouan. Although currently
consisting of a small shop, Fonwouo hopes that the center will grow. He also hopes that
basketmakers and people interested in the crafts of Western Cameroon will contact him, as
he is quite isolated from the rest of the world and is very interested in exchanging ideas
and selling Cameroonian arts and crafts. Fonwouo is also willing to travel and teach
basketmaking to anyone who will sponsor him. Besides English and French, he also speaks
Bahouan, his native language, and 8 other Cameroonian languages. |
| Basket bottom |
Basket top |
Finished raphia baskets by Fonwou |
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| Beadworking is a traditional local craft.
Fonwouo encourages the beaders by selling their work at the center. Almost
any surface can be beaded, including
wooden bracelets, Fonwouo's baskets and gourds! |
Here are a few of the hand made items for sale at the Handicraft Center:
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| Dyed and hand woven raphia bags |
Ndop cloth (undyed, stitched, indigo-dyed) |
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| Bracelets and letter openers |
Carved and shaped horn |
| For more information about the Handicraft Center,
or to place an order (orders must be paid for in advance with Western
Union), please contact Fonwouo (in English or French) at:
The Handicraft Center
Bahouan
West Province
Republic of Cameroon
Africa
Telephone: (237) 694 69 72 44 or (237) 677 20 65 27
email: fonwouo.fonwouo@yahoo.com Fonwouo |
Version Français
For more about raphia baskets, see "Raphia Palm Basketmaking
in Western Cameroon, Africa," in SHUTTLE, SPINDLE, & DYEPOT, Winter 2003/2004,
21-24.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
Hans Knopfli has written the best books I have ever read about the crafts of Cameroon.
Please go to his web page at https://www.kamerun.ch/home-en.html
for more information about them.
LINKS:
Art-Batik of Adehoumi Sikirou Shola
Bark Pictures of Claude Ngaha
Gîtes Ruraux de l'Ouest
Metal Casting in Foumban
Wood Carving in Foumban
Abdou Mfopa
Pottery of Western Cameroon
Tapestry Crochet in Cameroon
Cameroonian Basket Maker, Fokam Goufo Buhler
Cameroonian Author, Mih John Fung
Cameroonian Painter, Hilarion Wirdzeka Faison
Nigerian Painter, Elcarver Rotimi Agbola
Adinkra in Ntonso, Ghana
Ashanti Kente Weaving in Bonwire, Ghana
Ashanti Kente Weaving in Adawomase, Ghana
Ewe Kente Cloth Weaving in Denu, Ghana
Painting and Baskets of Sirigu, Ghana
Tapestry Crochet Home Page
Cane baskets of Mexico
Reed baskets of Mexico
Tapestry crochet basket pattern
Web page, photographs, and text by Carol Ventura
in 2001. Please look at Carol's
home page to see more about crafts around the world.
