Zohra Baraka started Mohazo over 20 years ago and has successfully grown her company from a small-scale handicrafts distributor to an “African lifestyle brand” exporting to retailers in the United States, Japan, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom. Her success exporting handmade baskets, soap stone sculptures and wooden masks to international retailers has demonstrated that an innovative perspective on African crafts combined with the benefits of an increasingly globalized economy can lead to lucrative partnerships.
Zohra Baraka, Owner and Executive Director of Mohazo
Mohazo’s products first emerge as an idea from their full time designer in Nairobi, which is then communicated to suppliers employing female and male artisans in rural villages throughout Kenya. The expertly produced wares are then packed onto containers and shipped around the world until finally they arrive on the display tables of a TJ Max in your average American suburban town.
This chain of production and distribution is a great source of pride for Zohra. Mohazo has provided a market for many rural producers offering these craftspeople (mostly women) an opportunity to envision distribution beyond their villages and, according to Zohra, “realize their potential” for success.
It was in 1994 that Mohazo had its first big breakthrough when a Japanese company placed an order for 5000 hand-woven baskets—leading Zohra to start a woman’s cooperative and employ 250 women to fill the order. Zohra continues to support this original group of women, and sends them orders as often as possible. “In the long run my vision is to have at least 1000 women on board,” Zohra proclaims. “I am a female chauvinist…I give the women priority (in regards to selecting suppliers and craftspeople) because I say, with us Africans, if a woman gets money, the whole family will eat.”
In regards to the future of Mohazo, Zohra feels that “the sky’s the limit.” Undoubtedly she will continue to expand her market, diversify her products and employ more and more women. “We want to be the best company selling handicrafts in this region…that is our vision.”
Tags: crafts, craftspeople, empowerment, entrepreneur, handicrafts, Kenya, Mohazo, Nairobi, strength, women
Dara,
Thanks for bringing this inspiring story of success to light. I believe that with the breakthrough in external markets, African artisan work should pay more. I have had the chance to interact with women artisan groups much smaller in size and resources than Mohazo. I gathered that often, the people who make the products themselves have no idea about the destination of their products, the returns etc. Trainings to enhance business target group leaders only and have no cascade plans. Artisan groups should themselves grow to handle the roles of marketing which middle men often play.
I think that’s a fair criticism, and something that I struggled with as well. My impression is that Zohra has provided many of these craftspeople with a market that they otherwise would never have been able to access and she prides herself on compensating them above and beyond what they would receive from other distributors in kenya and abroad. That being said, I suppose the ideal situation for the artisans would be to remove the middle men (women), and receive the full profit from their goods. My assumption is that your average rural craftsperson would find it very difficult to strike a deal with a store like TJ Maxx; Zohra makes those relationships possible.
Incredible success story! I agree with you, Dara, I think that liaison is often a necessity when doing business. It allows craftspeople to focus on creating while businesswomen cover the rest. As long as Zohra is compensating them well as you say she is, then the more jobs the better!
These products look wonderful. I’m sold! But question: are we forcing women down a cul-de-sac by encouraging them to produce handicrafts – given how tough the market is? Zohra shows how it can work, but presumably she’s the exception? Interested to know what all of the 5 Vital Voices partners and Fellows think of this…