Last day in Cape Maclear

Well, this has been a productive and quick trip to Cape Maclear. I have had an opportunity to get to know Mathew's family a little better than I did before. I was able to enjoy the sunsets and coffee by the Lake...nothing better than that! I did some 'shopping' here but also spent some time talking with some of the artisans to gain a better understanding of the process they go through in making and selling their crafts for a living. I spoke with Stuart and Chicco about what they do and how they work. They both said some of the same things but there were also some differences. They talked about where they get their supplies and that they have to travel to get materials to make the jewelry and carvings. They talked about the variation in pricing based on the availability of materials as well as the season. Cape Maclear very much depends on tourists and people from the outside to come here where the crafts can be purchased. They both talked about wishes they had for the future and they both included more money in that wish. School and a better life and job are things that they wished for. One difference I noticed is that one of the artisans felt that he mostly received a fair wage for his products and items he sells while the other did not feel that he received enough. We have participated recently in a Cultural Survival bazaar and the vendors that participate in that fair are expected to support fair trade in their purchasing and selling. We were able to participate in this fair with some expectation of learning more about fair trade and the vedors that we purchase items from. So after speaking with these artisans I continue to contemplate he concept of fair trade. A friend of mine recently returned to the U.S. from Malawi and she inquired some about wages and how artisans felt about the compensation they receive for their crafts, and she found that there was some confusion about that question and concept.

So I am wondering now about the whole fair trade concept and feel that it is, to some degree, a subjective thing. Because 'fair' my be different to every person. If you were to extend the definition to include abiltity to pay for living expenses, one could argue what that even means. I am not a sociologist, economist, or anthropoligist by any means, but my thought is that it may be difficult to truly determine what is fair. If one vendor feels that 100 kwacha is fair and he is able to support himself and/or family while another wants 1000 kwacha or the same item...which is truly fair?

The whole barter system is difficult for me anyway, because I don't like to haggle...I don't like to offend anyone, but I also like fairness...it is truly one of my least favorite things. The irony about that is that my friend from Malawi and I were talking about this one day and she said she prefers the barter system to the American system of set pricing. She doesn't feel it is fair for there not to be an opportunity to get a lower price.


So....I have just tried to upload a picture of each of the vendors but I guess Blogger does not want to upload anymoreright now...it's tired.

I will try to post more later today or tomorrow!

So long for now!!