At the August general meeting, Cael Chappell, founder of Baskets of Africa (www.BasketsOfAfrica.com), gave a fascinating presentation on krobo glass beads, which are handmade in Krobo and Obumase, Ghana, West Africa. 

Cael’s company deals in free-trade goods and buys directly from the bead (and basket) makers. A bead company that Cael deals with is operated by a famous bead maker, “Mr. Cedi,” whose full name is Ebenezer Cedi Nomoda Djaba. Mr. Cedi advertises his company as “A place where beads talk.” Not only does Mr. Cedi make these powdered glass beads, he teaches people around the world how they are made. For the Krobo people, Cael told us, their culture is based on beads.