New African Binga Baskets

These baskets are from the Matabeleland North region of Zimbabwe, which is an isolated region bordered by the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba, and is at the bottom of the Zambezi Encampment, which is the last crack of the Great African Rift Valley.

This woman displays her wares for the tourists
who come through their village.

They have various styles of huts from the elevated to the ones on the ground utilizing all the natural materials of their area.

The baskets are no different, grasses gathered from the local plants, dried then woven into complex patterns.

Just to show you how arid and desolate the region is, here are some pictures of the village where these baskets are being made. The hut on raised stilts is a traditional Batonka hut to keep wild animals and crocodiles away.