Carving a Rich History
Salama! Welcome to Tanzania.
Tanzania is a country in East Africa. Dense forests, wooded savannahs, white sand beaches, and volcanic mountains (including Mt. Kilimanjaro) can all be found on its soil. Because it is so close to the equator, the climate is usually warm. Lions, elephants, cheetahs and giraffes all make their homes across the vast open landscape of Tanzania.
People in Tanzania have been carving wood for thousands of years. Some of the first human settlements in the world have been found in the valleys and plains of this historically rich country. Carving tools made of stone and bone were probably some of the first on the planet to be used in carving wood. People today still carve trees to make functional items for their homes and beautiful artwork for ceremonies and decoration.
Tanzania is most known for the human figures carved from ebony by the Makonde people, and for the beautifully carved wooden doors of Zanzibar. Although the carvings are beautiful, some of the trees being used to make them are not being replanted and are quickly disappearing. Craftspeople in Tanzania often sell their art to tourists who come there to go on safari. In order to help protect the forests, tourists need to ask and make sure that the wood carvings they buy are from people who are responsibly cutting trees that are sustainably managed.
Likewise, some people are trying to sell parts of the carved wooden doors in Zanzibar. Some of the doors on the island are hundreds of years old, and should be protected instead of sold to tourists. There are only about 800 of the doors left on the island, and thousands of tourists visit each year. Buying a piece of a door may not seem so bad, but if everyone did it, the old doors would soon be gone. Protecting the doors helps to make the streets of Zanzibar into a open museum for all to enjoy.
Tanzania is a country in East Africa. Dense forests, wooded savannahs, white sand beaches, and volcanic mountains (including Mt. Kilimanjaro) can all be found on its soil. Because it is so close to the equator, the climate is usually warm. Lions, elephants, cheetahs and giraffes all make their homes across the vast open landscape of Tanzania.
People in Tanzania have been carving wood for thousands of years. Some of the first human settlements in the world have been found in the valleys and plains of this historically rich country. Carving tools made of stone and bone were probably some of the first on the planet to be used in carving wood. People today still carve trees to make functional items for their homes and beautiful artwork for ceremonies and decoration.
Tanzania is most known for the human figures carved from ebony by the Makonde people, and for the beautifully carved wooden doors of Zanzibar. Although the carvings are beautiful, some of the trees being used to make them are not being replanted and are quickly disappearing. Craftspeople in Tanzania often sell their art to tourists who come there to go on safari. In order to help protect the forests, tourists need to ask and make sure that the wood carvings they buy are from people who are responsibly cutting trees that are sustainably managed.
Likewise, some people are trying to sell parts of the carved wooden doors in Zanzibar. Some of the doors on the island are hundreds of years old, and should be protected instead of sold to tourists. There are only about 800 of the doors left on the island, and thousands of tourists visit each year. Buying a piece of a door may not seem so bad, but if everyone did it, the old doors would soon be gone. Protecting the doors helps to make the streets of Zanzibar into a open museum for all to enjoy.