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Souvenirs for the home front. and other Africa Shopping Tips

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Africa Shopping Tips by Wafro

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Wafro    
~~> I Never Try Anything, I Just Do It <~~


Real Name: Ian Vandingelen
Lives In: Houthalen, BE
Member Since: Apr 02, 2004
VT Rank: 249

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Souvenirs for the home front.
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  • Written by Wafro on Sep 3, 2005
  • Africa Travel Guide
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  • Almost every African country has got souvenir stalls along the road.
    There you can buy work of art, masks, statues,…. and when you’re lucky you can see them do the carving.
    Always negotiate about the prices, even if they look ridiculous low.
    Back home again all these pieces of art will keep the memories alive.




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    Theme: Art
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    Don’t buy dirty(animals/insects) souvenirs.
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  • Written by Wafro on Sep 6, 2005
  • Africa Travel Guide
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  • Crocodile boots, a leopard purse or an ivory statue.
    They might look beautiful and unique, but they aren’t worth it.
    Each time you buy such an item, an animal must die for it.
    SO USE YOUR MIND, if you’re looking for some accurate info on this issue, check CITES.


    What To Buy: CITES.
    (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between Governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.


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    Theme: Other
    Website: http://www.cites.org/
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    Crafts and Souveniers
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  • Written by Wafro on Sep 24, 2005
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  • West Africa.
    -Beads & beadswork
    -Jewellery, mostly gold and silver(around the Sahara and Ghana)
    -Masks(good in the Ivory Coast)
    -Textieles(Kente and Adinkra cloth from Ghana, Youruba textiles from Nigeria)
    -Musical instruments and drums(Senegal and Guinea)
    -Woodcarvings




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    Theme: Local Craft
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    Crafts and Souveniers
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  • Written by Wafro on Sep 24, 2005
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  • Central Africa
    -Beads
    -Decorated gourds(Cameroon)
    -Jewellery(Gabon)
    -Leatherwork(northern Cameroon)
    - Woodcarvings and Masks(Congo, DRC, CAR)




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    Theme: Local Craft
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    Crafts and Souveniers
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  • Written by Wafro on Sep 24, 2005
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  • East Africa
    -Baskets
    -Beaded tribal jewellery(Kenya and Tanzania)
    -Spices(Zanzibar)
    -Fabrics and batiks
    -Soapstone carvings
    -Carved wooden chests




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    Theme: Local Craft
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    Maghreb Pottery
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  • Written by Wafro on Oct 6, 2008
  • Africa Travel Guide
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  • The art of ceramics and pottery is rooted in the local traditions of the Maghreb countries . Indeed, one used, since the antiquity, the terracotta tanks like the earthenware jars to store and preserve harvests of corn, lens, dates and olive oil. Oil lamps and small figurines based on clay are used in the ceremonies of marriages to carry happiness and move away bad spirits. These same articles found at the time of the excavations of the prehistoric coffins confirm the ancestral aspect of this art.



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    Comments for Wafro about Africa
    elpariente Tue Oct 20, 2009 17:45 UTC
     Very good and interesting tips Thank you Gracias !!!!
    gilabrand Sat May 3, 2008 20:33 UTC
     Interesting tip about smelling gorillas...LOL
    nora_south_africa Fri Apr 18, 2008 18:12 UTC
     great africa tips
    Knuppel Wed Mar 26, 2008 09:33 UTC
     Thank you very much for the great information, it helped me a lot. bye and enjoyed the pictures
    See More Comments

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