A fair trade arrangement with a Ghanaian friend brings us one-of-a-kind handmade baskets, tote bags, and hand fans made from the local veta vera straw, also called elephant grass, in the Bolgatanga region in northern Ghana.
 
These hand fans are made 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 to harvest the elephant grass and other materials he uses, then brings them back to Accara where he makes and sells his items in the market. Each fan is made with different variations, all of which Adongo makes with a robust wrapping technique around a grass core, where leftover straw is cut off in the last step. These 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.