Gitarama

Land of a thousand hills

The name "Gitarama" is in honor of the Rwandan region where many of the artisans making the purses live.

Rwanda is a tiny, landlocked country, right in the heart of Africa. Known as "The Land of A Thousand Hills", Rwanda’s hilly terraine offers precious little farmland - which is sadly ironic given that farming is a primary industry in Rwanda. There is a tradition in Rwanda of dividing family farmland into separate plots for each of a family's children as they mature into adulthood. Obviously, this means that an impoverished family's small plot of land is divided into smaller and smaller portions, generation after generation. A major challenge is finding a source of income that is not based on growing crops.

Banana trees are everywhere in Rwanda - weavers do not have to own farmland to have access to banana trees. If you have ever been to Rwanda, you know how plentiful bananas trees are. During your visit you no doubt ate bananas many ways - fried, mashed, sautéed. You may even have tried delicious banana beer. Gitarama purses are a perfect product for Rwandans to export because they are made of readily available banana leaves. By purchasing a Gitarama purse, you will provide a local artisan with a way to make a living that is based on the abundant, renewable supply of a local plant.

Click on the map to go to Rwanda’s official website