TEA AND
A CHAT
TABARA N’DIAYE
FROM LA BASKETRY
ON KEEPING CRAFT
TRADITIONS ALIVE
“I’m on a mission to
shine a light on one
of the oldest crafts.”
THIS MONTH I’M LOVING...
Using: Insight Timer daily, it’s a great free app
with guided meditations.
Watching: Race Across the World on BBC2 –
I love watching them immerse themselves into
different cultures.
Thinking about: Christmas 2019 already!
It’s never too early to start thinking about
Christmas, right?T
hat first love: it was back in the
summer of 1997 in Senegal, West
Africa. It was hot. As the sun beat
down, I saw it standing tall and proud
in a busy market – the basket of my
dreams – and I knew I needed it at that
moment. My love for baskets only grew
deeper throughout the years, but it was really
when I visited a rural village called Ngaye
Mkeke outside of my parents’ hometown that
I understood the deeper connection behind
them – a craft passed down from generation
to generation, female weavers gathering
together in courtyards and coiling baskets
until the sun sets.
Learning to weave baskets was the
obligatory next step. I initially taught myself
by deconstructing them under the blazing
Senegalese sun before finally taking various
courses in London to hone my skills. Today
I’m on a mission to shine a light on one of the
world’s oldest crafts via my online shop, La
Basketry (www.labasketry.com), that has been
o ering handmade products by the
same group of artisans for the past two
years. I’ve also just released my first
book, Baskets, which demonstrates
exactly how to make everything from a
cane lampshade to a plant hanger, as
well as sharing the abundance of
materials readily available, making
basketry really accessible. Did you know
thatyoucanmakebasketsoutofyarns,
newspapers,orevenplasticbags?Visit http://www.labasketry.com to find out more about
Tabara’s unique business. She’s also on Instagram
as @labasketry where she shares her makes. HEADSHOT AND MAIN IMAGE:BASKETSBY TABARA N’DIAYE (QUADRILLE, £14.99) PHOTOGRAPHY © PENNY WINCER; TOP LEFT AND RIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY: YESHEN VENEMA