With a Purse, a Candle & some Bling am gooood

By Caroline Uliwa

Silver earrings with cowries shells all sourced
from Tanzania by Buganzi

At times all you need to lift your spirits is being enchanted with trinkets that send shards of inspiration to your soul all awhile seducing your senses. It started slow but now it’s all the rage; pop up artisan shops in Dar es Salaam with delectable handmade goodies. It was the Wonder Welders markets from the early 2010’s, which stamped this scene. Where now the Artisan Market at Oysterbay shopping centre with its bi-annual showcasing, sits among the top must visit pop up shop experiences in the city. 

Have you ever bumped into goodies that seduce you to make a dent in your budget that you well, don’t regret; until perhaps your tenth plate of rice & beans in a row for dinner towards the end of the month? This is the case for jewellery from Buganzi, baskets from Bella Ragazza & candles from Melba Candles. It was from my perusal of these pop up shops that I bumped into the owners of these ventures and thought to share.

Woven basket handbag and leather sandals
from Bella Ragazza made in TZ

Anna Ambrose Lugenge, 38- Bella Ragazza

Bella Ragazza which is Italian for ‘beautiful lady’ as a name was captured by Anna after spending some time with Italians, where she fell in love with their accent. Sitting down in wooden chairs outside her shop located in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam we traced her love of designer baskets and the birthing of Bella Ragazza.

“Since college I was bitten by the basket bug, I love them but I noticed to get good ones the flea market or oversea shops were the answer. Yet I knew it’s possible to have quality baskets made here. I am Hehe by tribe, hailing from Iringa it was May 2018, when I made my first trip to Iringa for baskets. There’s this big market there selling various baskets, I bought 53. My aim was not just to resell but to upscale them.”

Anna Ambroce Lugenge founder 
Bella Ragazza

With all but 500,000Tshs from her savings Anna began this venture which to date employs 6 people, working with over 115 women from Iringa & Manyara to produce baskets, mats and leather sandals. 

The main product for this venture is baskets and from that first batch Anna knew she wanted to work directly with the weavers. To ensure she could dictate the quality of her products, initially she worked with one lady who took on two of her sisters in law in tow. Anna would draw the shape she likes and facilitate its casting which the ladies would then use to knit around to create these signature pieces.

“The reed grass is plentiful it just grows, mostly in swamp areas they harvest it then let it dry, though not so much such it cuts their hands but just enough for them to weave. I had to get innovative in showing my potential customers how baskets are versatile and appealing.” Anna shares how she uses social media to draw her customers in, the fact that the products of Bella Ragazza are handmade. Ensure that each ends up being unique and I tell you they are delicious.

An iconic Bella Ragazza handbag
with leatherhandles all made
& sourced in TZ

I was inspired by the way her eyes beamed with pride as she spoke of her team. Like Mr Kiondo the leather artisan at Bella Ragazza, he used to live in Arusha but now has moved to Dar es Salaam for the first time with his family, all thanks to Anna’s business acumen.

“I am not an NGO so my first priority was to make sure the business is profitable. But now as I hear the stories from the ladies I work with, how this business has empowered them. As most of them have decided to send their kids back to school because now they can afford uniform, books.  One bought her husband a bicycle which he uses to help her deliver the baskets to town. Another lady was in an abusive marriage, she managed to get out and stay at her sister in laws, all awhile building her own place. That she has now moved into with her kids, these stories really keep me going. For if I can do a business that makes such meaningful impact then I shouldn’t stop.” Anna affirms.

Handmade Silver jewellery sourced
and made in TZ by Buganzi

Nancy Joyce Bondo- Buganzi

You know the swirly eye look from cartoon characters, when they meet a python sending them a spell to draw them for the kill. As Nancy shuffled in her bag of goodies, showing me one silver piece of jewellery after another; I probably had that same hypnotised look.

Buganzi jewellery pieces are currently found at Bold in Africa stores in Kampala Uganda as well the Ally Remtullah shop in Masaki, Dar es Salaam. Buganzi which means ‘God’s grace’ in Kihaya (from the Haya tribe in TZ) is a business with three partners Sakina Mbullo, Antonia Kilama and Nancy Bondo as the executive.

Nancy Joyce Bondo co-founder
Buganzi

Buganzi was launched in 2017 before that these three ladies, who are friends, were selling mostly imported retail jewellery. With time they evolved to working with precious metals from east Africa bringing designer handcrafted jewellery to their audiences.

Silver jewellery sourced & made in
TZ with sea glass

“For me I like to be different. So yes we like to work with silver & brass but we don’t offer you those standard designs, our pieces are all handmade with accent materials that tell a story.” Nancy shares, sure what makes Buganzi stand out is its handmade metal pieces; with its pairings of precious metals and rustic objects. Allowing them to ooze an intimate yet elegant feel, where the odd marriage between cowries’ shells and brass, sea glass & silver, ebony wood & silver, poetry & metal, sea worn ceramics & silver; become a cherished norm.

Buganzi works with a silver smith, where Nancy takes the lead in curating the designs and choice of pairings. “I draw I’ve been investing in that, doing these little free online courses, recently I got myself a compass, remember the old school compass with stencils and stuff…Cause with jewellery you have to be exact in measurements to ensure synchronicity.” Nancy adds.

Melba William Sandi, 29 -Melba Candles 

Packed with scent these are Melba Candles
made in TZ 

It was Melba’s frustration with finding a lasting scented candle that began her journey into the world of candle making. She recalls buying a candle from the Mall being so excited as it smelled good, yet when she got home to light it. There was no hot throw (the coined term for the whiff from a burning candle), soon after it was a candle souvenir from a wedding that again didn’t deliver; which had her throwing the napkin to visit Mme. Google.

Melba William Sandi founder
Melba Candles

“I went online searching how candles are made and bumped into this whole other world. Learned there is a lot of waxes, beeswax, soy wax, coconut wax, paraffin, gel wax…I have been disappointed before as there are so many candles that smell good but what’s the point of a scented candle, if you can’t light it and feel that scent wafting in the room.” Melba explains.

When I first inhaled a Melba Candle, I thought it some kind of witch craft from the way it smelt so rich. These candles have no leftover factory scent using soy wax; their scents include Mango Papaya, Vanilla, Raspberry Vanilla, Hazelnut Coffee, Orange Blossom, Caramel popcorn & so forth.

Melba began her journey into candle making with a lot of trial and errors in fact her first attempt back in 2016 had her abandoning the project altogether. Until she got back to it in 2017 where by Sept in the same year, she launched her brand. You can find her shop at the Slipway in Masaki, Dar es Salaam. She recanted to me with teary eyes how she felt so proud when she got the keys to this shop which was her dream location.

Her advice on turning a hobby to a business “I keep telling people everything is online, like you just need to be patient and take your time and practice. Because many people want to wake up today start a business, make millions but you have to be patient with yourself. And don’t put all these big goals from the get go, first just make this thing.”Melba shares.

Unifying Traits

The basket weavers from Iringa that Anna works
with, you can spot her she is the one
wearing glasses in a white T

For Buganzi & Melba Candles in the beginning they had challenges with packaging, one time Melba after getting her first big order had to resort to ordering glass jars with lids from China. 

As all these businesses work with handmade products which take time to produce they face the challenge of supply not meeting demand. Which is why Anna’s taskforce has increased so steadily over the years, yet she still struggles to meet supply. Whereas Melba still does most of the production fearing copyright infringement if she shares her skills with another candle maker.  

The price range for these sumptuous goods is fair, with Bella Ragazza starting at 15,000-75,000Tshs, Melba Candles from 18,000-50,000Tshs with Buganzi jewellery pieces ranging from 40,000-160,000Tshs. All their goods are handmade with raw materials from Tanzania. These brands since inception attribute their success to social media and the beloved pop up shops, ensuring all by now have provided bulk orders for clients both within and outside the country.

n.b. this article was first published in the East African newspaper magazine on the 26th of June 2021