A fair trade arrangement with a Ghanaian friend brings us on-of-a-kind handmade baskets, tote bags, and hand fans in the Bolgatanga region in northern Ghana.
 
These handmade tote bags were crafted by Raymond Adongo, a Sr. Weaver, who learned his trade from his father, and his father's father. Adongo travels a three-day journey from Accara to the Bolgatanga region in northern Ghana to harvest the veta vera straw, also called elephant grasses, and other materials he uses and brings them back to Accara where he makes and sells his items in the market. His intricate weaving techniques have been passed down for generations in Cape Coast, Ghana, which is located in the west coast region of Africa and was known during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries for being a trading port for enslaved persons to the British colonies of America, South America, and the Caribbean.