Rwanda’s famous hand-woven basket, Agaseke, is livening up the African Fair held during the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) The fair that began on Thursday features 45 African countries gathered to showcase Africa’s economy and the increasing opportunities for business between Africa and Japan. In a survey conducted by the national Japanese television, visitors who witnessed live hand weaving ranked Rwanda’s Agaseke as the most attractive item of the African Fair. “The visitors were impressed by the weaving of each basket by hand into a perfect product. People here come from a background where most of their products are industrial made and rarely have the opportunity to purchase well-made handcrafts,” said Chantal Mukabagire who heads Ibanga ry’Agaseke, a union of cooperatives of basket weavers based in Kigali. Visitors crowded around to admire Mukabagire and her colleague Peruth Mukamusoni as they weaved a variety of baskets made from natural fibres using a technique that has been practiced for thousands of years. The traditional Rwandan basket with its conical top and “zigzag” stripes is the centrepiece of Rwanda, and a national symbol that adorns the official seal. According to Mukamusoni, “the interest Japanese people have picked in these baskets is overwhelming”. “We have been to several countries across the world where Agaseke is branded an icon but we have been stunned by the interest expressed during this fair,” she said. One of the visitors at the Rwandan booth, Mayumi Takatsu, said she was mainly impressed by the fact that the baskets are woven by women. “The ability of women to earn a living through their art and unique skills is particularly impressive. The precise measurement, the colour mixing, and the shape of each basket is an unbelievable skill,” said Takatsu as she showed off a basket she had just acquired. Hundreds of visitors also had the opportunity to taste Rwandan coffee at the Rwanda stand. The coffee was showcased by a member of the Rwandan community in Japan, Marie Louise Kambenga, who has been exporting coffee to Japan for over fifteen years. Rwanda’s coffee earned high reviews from all the participants who described its quality as unique and one of the best.
