Meet the weavers

We’re as proud of our sunglass cases as we are about what goes into them. Each is uniquely handmade by a traditional weaver from one of three rural communities in Bolgatanga, Upper East Ghana.

As Pala grows, more people are being taught to weave, creating a new source of income for themselves.

By recycling plastic we access a readily available material, rather than the more traditional straw which is limited by seasonality. This provides the chance for a more regular income throughout the year for our weavers.

We provide each artisan all the materials they need; they then weave the cases in their own time and return the finished product for payment.

Most of our weavers enjoy weaving together – there’s a strong sense of community. Songs are sung and when their work is finished they celebrate by sharing some locally made Pito (beer!), drunk from a calabash. We’ll hear more from them in the future.

jib
Jib oversees the weaving process, supporting the communities that create the cases and “helping build respect for them”. His surname is an anagram of Ghana. He likes that.
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Azibilia celebrating the completion of her community’s weaving task with a decent calavash of ‘Pito’ – or beer if you would prefer!
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Meet Ayin Poome. One of a number of disabled workers involved in the process. She’s in charge of the ‘Twisters’ who create the strands for the weavers to weave with.
Godfred
This is Godfred Aneera. We guess you could call him our ‘eco-warrior’. A master weaver who heads up our quality assurance and trains others up to learn the art.
sakintu
Sakintu Adams, a members of the Zaare Amoabisi. From weaving our cases she is was able to buy a school uniform, shoes and books which meant she could attend school. Her community create the cases with either a dark blue, yellow or green stripe in it.
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Checking the cases fit the sunnies. Every case is hand-made which means the sizes and shape may differ a little. You may even find yours a little ‘wobbly’, but then that’s what makes it unique!
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Young and old members of the Sumbrungu Ataampuurum community. If your case has a light blue strand then this is where it came from.
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Big smiles from the members of the Zaare Akudenbisi community. If your case has a red/orange or purple colour in it then you weaver will be amongst one of these faces.