About the artist Paul Gibbs and Tony Prischl:
Paul Gibbs and Tony Prischl, both jewelers with 26 years of experience, started a jewelry manufacturing company in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1975. After years of producing many fine items of jewelry for both private individuals and wholesalers, they created the unique pewter "African Puzzle" in 1994. The puzzle proved to be very popular. Paul and Tony saw the need for a high quality, upmarket range of gift products to satisfy the South African local and tourist market. In July of 1996, ready for a change in careers, they formed their new company, Makoulpa. Makoulpa means tortoise in Creole.
This business has provided them with the perfect avenue to use their jewelry expertise to communicate their love of Africa and its wildlife through the production of a pewter range of animal accented products. "We find it extremely satisfying to accurately depict one of Africa's greatest resources, its wildlife, in each of our products," says Paul. "We are inspired by the challenge of creating functional products with the animal theme as our common thread." Tony adds, "Our goal is to develop a complete range of unique products that add value to people's lives in the sense that they are artistically pleasing and can still be used on a daily basis. We want people to live with the beauty of African wildlife."
About Mbare, Ltd.:
Mbare, Ltd. specializes in importing high quality African art made from natural and recycled materials. Borrowing their name from the famous Mbare Musika marketplace in Harare, they take pleasure in bringing African creativity—including Shona stone sculpture, to your home.
havapassion brings you this fairly traded art form from Mbare.
In the language of the Shona People of Zimbabwe, mbare (pronounced "im-bah-ree") means "a gathering of things" or "a marketplace". Mbare Ltd grew out of a desire to create a sustainable source of income for Zimbabwean artists. Robbie Stewart, the owner of Mbare, who grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, says " I have always had an appreciation for local art found at roadside markets, in urban workshops, or at the homes of talented craftspeople. The artistic skills that Zimbabweans possess are often passed down through generations and represent an accumulation of knowledge and talent. Getting to know families that engage in this work has been a privilege for me."
