JUST A BIT OF INFO

Just a Taste of Africa stocks a wide range of authentic African curios and crafts sourced from African arts and crafts projects all over Africa.  We are fortunate to have people from different African cultures joining forces to create fresh innovative ideas.
The combination of contemporary styles and traditional skills has allowed an almost new form of craft to emerge, which reflects the spirit of our country and its people. The results are African curios and crafts filled with individuality, creativity, spontaneity and style, but with authentic cultural elements firmly on display.
African craft in the traditional cultural sense undoubtedly plays an integral part in the Nations creative make-up, many an African Craft item traditionally created for a utilitarian purpose has become a highly valued object of beauty and admiration.
The aim of this website is to enable people to become aware of the rich, colorful African craft heritage of which we are so proud.

"Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land."

Giraffe Wood Carved Handmade with painted Giraffe pattern



/AFRICAN BEADWORK
    

African Beadwork is the most important craft industry in South Africa with beautiful beading techniques and skills being passed down through the generations from mothers to daughters. These rural African Beadwork ladies are some of the most impoverished people in Africa, yet they still manage to produce outstanding, authentic products in difficult circumstances.




/AFRICAN BEADED NECKLACES, EARRINGS & BANGLES

Traditional African beaded necklaces, bracelets, bangles and earrings, handmade in South Africa in eye catching colours and designs have become sought after worldwide. Traditional African designs have fused with contemporary styles creating unique South African Beadwork Jewellery.




/TELEPHONE WIRE BASKETS & BOWLS

African Telephone wire baskets or 'Mbenge' in Zulu, handmade using age old grass weaving techniques were first developed by night shift security guards who passed the time weaving recycled telephone wire onto their security sticks. These skills were then transferred to the ornately designed telephone wire baskets of today.


African Masks are crafted from natural materials including wood, cloth, fiber, clay, copper and typically painted or stained with vegetable dyes. Traditionally African masks are used during ceremonies, dancing and ritual prepare men and woman for the battles of life, occupy their leisure or give expression to different forms of religious belief.



/AFRICAN BEADED STATUES

African Beaded Statues handmade from Ebony wood with intricate beadwork trim, free standing on a small wood base. Supplied as a set of male and female, when closely examined the female statue is holding a water carrier on her head in the traditional method used by most rural Africans to carry heavy loads over long distances. Besides their aesthetic ornamental beauty these beaded statues have been widely used in the Corporate Industry as table place card holders, being free standing they are ideally suited to this function, the recipient also gets a super gift at the end of the event.



/AFRICAN OSTRICH EGGS

Decoupage or "painted" Ostrich eggs in Big Five, Bushman, wildlife or a host of other African designs. We offer different stands which must be ordered separately - all ostrich eggs are supplied in a cardboard box. The decoupage process is labor intensive and requires numerous steps to achieve the desired result, from washing and painting the egg, to painstakingly cutting out the selected image and gluing it on, then applying numerous coats of varnish to seal and finish the process.


/AFRICAN BEADED SALAD SERVERS

Stainless steel salad servers hand beaded in a kaleidoscope of different bead colours then decorated with a wire trim. To compliment our beaded salad servers we also stock a range of wood carved salad servers with handles carved into zebra and giraffe as well as bone carved handles with painted artwork.



/AFRICAN CURIOS & CARVINGS

JUST A TASTE of AFRICA stocks a range of authentic African curios and carvings sourced from craft projects all over Africa including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Kenya. We are fortunate to have people from different African cultures joining forces to create fresh innovative ideas. Wood carvings of The Big Five, elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and rhino are also perennial favorites.



/AFRICAN BEAD & WIREWORK

Beaded animals, baobab trees, birds, flowers and reptiles are just some of the bead & wirework artefacts on offer, these products are all uniquely designed and handmade, making them excellent souvenirs, gifts or simply beautiful decorations with an African twist. This category is closely linked to our African beaded keyrings as they are crafted by the same artisans using similar wire and beadwork techniques. These techniques are unique to the Zimbabwean artists most of whom live and work in South Africa to escape the conflict in their own country, the proceeds are sent home to support their families. It is an absolute tragedy that the beautiful and once prosperous Zimbabwe has been destroyed by the greed of its former leader and his cronies, forcing its citizens to leave their homeland to seek out a living in neighbouring countries.



/AFRICAN STREET ART

African street art or township art, this uniquely South African artform depicts the reality of the harsh life and poverty of the people living in African Townships, and yet through all this deprivation the spirit of the African Artists emerges with bright, colorful paintings. These African artists have no formal training and draw inspiration from their surroundings, their artistic style is bold and colorful and irregular. Acrylic on canvas artworks literally painted on the streets are sold to tourists for a fraction of their value. The Arts of Africa will only prosper and continue to gain popularity if these upcoming artists are supported and given every opportunity to grow their natural talent and develop into world renown artists.