And now for some Good News from Africa .......

Poverty rates throughout the African continent have been falling steadily, and much faster than previously thought, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The death rate of children under five years of age is dropping, with “clear evidence of accelerating rates of decline,” according to The Lancet.

Perhaps most encouragingly, Africa is “among the world’s most rapidly growing economic regions.” 

Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted during its 62nd session in New York City on 13 September 2007.

The UN describes it as –

… "an important standard for the treatment of indigenous people, that will undoubtedly be a significant tool towards eliminating human rights violations, and assist in combating discrimination and marginalization."

It is estimated that indigenous people number 370 million across the world.

Here is a selection of the traditional work of some of these people:

http://www.justafrica.com.au

Text courtesy of http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

New Arrivals - Ceramics

Famous in Morocco and around the world for the quality of its ceramic pottery, Safi is a small town steeped in history, on the edge of the Atlantic coast.

Safi boasts the oldest pottery kilns in Morocco, and the potters there are well known for their plates, vases and bowls, hand-decorated in vivid colours.

In spite of mechanical production methods being available, all of the pieces are still made and decorated by hand in the traditional way, and are a major source of income for Safi.

To see an overview of our newly arrived batch of Moroccan ceramics, click here or visit us instore for more.