CHAGGA ARTS AND CRAFTS OF TODAY

The  chagga craftsmen of today still carve utility products with nice decorations or figurine add - on, they also  carve products for interior wall decoration, games and toys for children etc.

carved container

Carved container

This containers can be used as sugar pots or  as container for 
storing small items such as jewelry.

Salt and pepper container

                                                            

crocodile bowl

                          

Rhino Tray

                                                                   

Cheetah tray

                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                  

Chagga  Mask

Chagga  Mask ( wall decoration)

                                                                      

Carved Land Rover

 Carved VW Beetle

                                                           

                                                                                   

                                                                                                     

                                 

           Tourist  overland truck

                                                 

Tractor Carved

Honda Motor bike

Decorated tray

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                     

Mboriko Bowl
decorated with elephant motif

                                                                                                                                                                                              

 Giraffes Bowl

                                                                                                                         

Mboriko Bowl
decorated with Leopard motif

Song of Kilimanjaro


                                                        

Some of the scorching decoration used by the Chagga soft wood carvers.

 When you are in Kilimanjaro and you want to buy a souvenir, go for indigenous arts and craft

And

 Sanaa Zetu 

Is there to cater for your needs.

With its wide range of products apart from the indigenous one.

 Customer satisfaction is our motto.

You are most welcome       

 KARIBU

         

.

Chagga traditional Utillity Products

The Chagga people had their own utility products which were made by their crafts men who are scattered from one end to another of the land. Today i  want to show you some digital images of their products if not all. And give you a short brief of each product as we go along.

O n the  photo above we see some of the softwood products used  by Chagga of Uru. The wooden trays where used for serving cooked meat ( Chagga used to eat a lot of meat in the yester years).The stirrer and wooden spoon, used  for stirring food whilst cooking.

Mboriko or Kitela (wooden bowl)

Mboriko is widely used in Chaggaland for Porridge, Mtori, Kitawa, Kitalolo, Kiumbo etc,local  food varieties.

 

Kiuri (Mortar) they are made of different sizes. the smaller one  is used for pounding spices and medicinal herbs. Whilst the larger one for pounding food grains such as maize, millet etc to flour.

Kihondi  ( carved wooden container) are made of different sizes.  And are used for storing water,  keeping Mbege,Chagga local brew, washing coffee beans etc.

Wooden carved round drums were used for storing water or keeping Mbege, Chagga local brew.

Kata (calabash) is used for drinking local brew mbege, water and also as a filling utility for water from the stream into storage containers .  this is a simple one, some of them are nicely decorated using scorching technique.

At Sanaa Zetu we have in stock of the Chagga traditional utility products which are still frequently used by the Chagga people. You are most welcome. Customers satisfaction is our motto.

Watch my next post. 

To Friends, Fans, well wishers of Sanaa Zetu and others world wide

On  behalf of Sanaa Zetu, i take this opportunity to extend our new year Greetings 2013 to you all. And thanks to Blog for facilitating this platform which enable us to reach and communicate with you all. Thank you.
Today i want to tell you that Sanaa Zetu, apart from being the oldest Curio Shop In Moshi Municipality,  it has an age of 40 + years since its establishment. And it is currently being managed by a third hand, Paul Siairuka Njau after its Founder, Famous International Artist + Mr. Elimo Fillipo Njau, who is his uncle.

Paul during his childhood  in early 1960 s he lived with his grand father Fillipo Morenja Njau at his home in Marangu. And he learnt a lot of does and dont s of life  from his grand father who was a retired Teacher,Evangelist and Spiritual founder of Kibo Art Gallery. Whilst at his grandfathers home he sub consciously understudy him in almost everything his grandfather did. The best part was watching his grandfather  attending visitors, coming to Kibo Art Gallery, which was also built in his land. Talking to visitors in English or sometime Germany to Germans,whilst taking them around the gallery.

In 1974 after Paul completed ordinary level secondary education, his uncle + Elimo took him to his home in Ridgeways Nairobi, Kenya. Paul was amaze by the way his uncle could talk for hours non stop,he is indeed a public speaker, he could be mistaken for a politician or a preacher by the people who don t know him well. He talked about his work, hopes with full of positive energy. Ridgeways also housed the Famous Paa Ya Paa ( Antelope Rising ) Gallery, which was another opportunity to Paul to see how things are donned at the gallery in comparison to Kibo.Bondage was  also built  between  Morille and Hana, children of his uncle.

Paul Trained as a Telecommunication technician worked only for eight years on that field before resorting to Art and Craft business. Business which he never dreamed of doing before. but strange  enough it was developing subconsciously within, from his childhood days.

Paul  is very good critic for work done  by artisans and craftsmen. And an appreciator for well done work. So he is good in product : quality control , design improvement  and new product development.

 Rock paintings in Kondoa Irangi inspired Paul and he came out with the Sanaa  Zetu logo shown below

  As a  symbol of:  Love (upendo) ,Togetherness (kwa pamoja),Unity (umoja),Bondage (mshikamano), Trust (uaminifu) and peace (amani).

Visitors and the local community  are most welcome to visit our show room.customer satisfaction is our motto.

 For direction you can get it on Google map.
Sanaa Zetu is  located at KNCU Bldg along its arcade, Old Moshi Rd.,Moshi, Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania

                                                            WELCOME
                                                             KARIBUNI

SANAA ZETU BRIEF

Sanaa Zetu (Our Arts And Crafts).
Was founded by a prominent East African  in the early 1970 s  born Artist + Mr. Elimo Njau . He was also the Director of Kibo Art Gallery of Marangu, Kilimanjaro, Chemchem Art centre in Arusha and Paa ya Paa Gallery in Nairobi Kenya. In the showroom he used to display mostly indegeneous Arts and Crafts, of the people living under the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro the Chaggas. Chagga soft wood carvers in the past used to carve utility products for use in homes. They carved Mboriko ( bowls), Kiwiri ( stirrer), Kihondi ( wooden drum) ......etc. They also used scorching to decorate their products.
When plastics utilities came into the scene, the carvers lost business and a lot of them indulged in other types of work to sustain themselves. With the new era the few carvers left behind, started making statues, wooden toy cars, decorative masks for wall hanging and assorted souvernirs for sell to tourist. We have also few  indegenous craftsmen who used clay, bamboo, Gourds, reeds materials.... etc to make their products.

In early 1980 s the business changed hands, And it was taken over by Three Ladies Ms Eliamhoo Ndesamburo Matari, Mrs Hambasia Nkella Maeda and Mrs. Nsiana Nathan Njau. they changed business name and called it Kibo Curio. They later formed a company called Kibo Curio Industries Ltd. Nature of business was the same as prior them taking over, but with added collections of products coming from other parts of the country. Also the softwood carvers were assited in developing new products and techniques.

                    Kibo Curio Logo

In late 1999 the Company share holders decided to  dissolve it. Property and shares divided.

In year 2000 Paul Siairuka Njau took over the business and changed back to the  old name Sanaa Zetu. And he has been its director todate.

+ Mr. Elimo Njau trully inspired the Njaus clan in the art world. So we have come out with active artists in the Familly. We have + Mr. Charles Ainainyi Njau in Stolkhom Sweden, + Ms. Hana Okolo Njau,USA. + Mr. Julius Ainainyi Njau, Japan.We  have also several dormant artists in the familly behind the scene.