Ethiopia

Sublime jewels in cartridges and recycled metals. Do not contain lead.

Ethiopia, long form the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in Amharic Ītyōṗṗyā, is a state in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia has common borders with Eritrea (former province) in the north, since the independence of Eritrea in 1993, Ethiopia no longer has access to the sea.

Second country in Africa by population, behind Nigeria, with 110,871,031 inhabitants, Ethiopia is the tenth country on the continent by area (1,127,127 km2). Essentially made up of high plateaus, stretching from the Danakil depression at −120 m to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Ras Dashan at 4,543 m, the country has a very diverse environment crossed by six climatic zones. The capital Addis Ababa, located at an altitude of 2,400 m, is the fourth highest capital in the world and the first in Africa.

Considered one of the cradles of humanity, Ethiopia is with Chad, Morocco and Kenya, one of the countries where we find the oldest hominids. Lucy was discovered there in 1974 and, in 2003, the oldest specimens of Homo sapiens. Within Africa, Ethiopia is characterized as one of the countries to have retained its sovereignty during the partition of Africa in the nineteenth century: therefore, its colors often symbolize Africa and were adopted by several other African states, in different configurations.

After a first serious food crisis in 2000, Ethiopia suffered a second with dramatic effects in 2003, due to the drought. Fifteen million people have been affected despite the mobilization of the international community. In 2006, another severe food shortage, bordering on famine, struck again, exacerbated by heavy flooding in the east of the country which killed hundreds and stricken thousands more.

In 2015, Ethiopia had 2,700 millionaires, a number that has more than doubled since 2007. Their fortunes are mainly built in niches of economic rents (banks, mines, etc.) without investing in the structural and strategic sectors (industrial production, infrastructure, etc.) and should in no way promote economic development or represent a source of competition for Western multinationals.

Internationally, Ethiopia was a signatory to the United Nations Declaration in 1942 and became one of the 51 founding member states of the United Nations. Addis Ababa is today the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union.

This collection of ethnic jewelry is the product of an Ethiopian social enterprise that aims to provide fair employment and minimum wages to more than 200 women. All jewelry is made with local materials such as recycled bullet shells, reused artillery shells, and copper, zinc and silver plated balls. All these jewels do not contain lead.

Ethiopian jewelry collection. Rare, different, of Quality.

This jewelry workshop mainly employs women living with HIV or at risk. Thanks to this work, these craftswomen not only have a stable job but also have access to training, education and medical care.

 

Recently viewed