MULBERRY MONGOOSE: BEAUTY FROM BRUTALITY
AS THE PANDEMIC RAGES ON AND AFRICA’S NATIONAL PARKS REMAIN DEVOID OF SAFARI VEHICLES AND THEIR TOURIST CARGO, POACHING IS ON THE RISE. BUT TUCKED AWAY ON AN ELEPHANT PATH IN ZAMBIA’S SOUTH LUANGWA ARE SOME TRULY REMARKABLE WOMEN (AND ONE GENTLEMAN)WAGING WAR ON SNARE POACHING AND TRANSFORMING THIS BRUTAL MATERIAL INTO UNIQUE, HANDCRAFTED JEWELLERY – EMBODYING THE SPIRIT OF THE AFRICAN BUSH.
In the absence of tourism, with jobs being lost and many African economies under greater strain than ever, the threat of poaching looms large over Africa’s wildlife populations. In Zambia’s South Luangwa, snare poaching is a means of earning income, with poachers selling their quarry for the bush meat trade. This form of poaching is indiscriminate and torturous, with many accidental casualties including lion, elephant and rhino.
In an attempt to remove some of the snare wire from circulation and provide much-needed employment for women in the South Luangwa, Kate Wilson and her team at Mulberry Mongoose continue to create unique and meaningful pieces of jewellery, hand-crafted from snare wire and other natural elements from the African bush. We spoke to Kate about life in the South Luangwa and the challenges that come with turning brutal snare wire into artisan jewellery…
Could you tell us a little bit about Mulberry Mongoose and what you do?
We are a group of 7 courageous local Zambian ladies and 1 gentleman who reflect the grace and ruggedness of the unique South Luangwa valley in each piece of jewellery we make. Our workshop is located on a well-worn elephant path in the South Luangwa, Zambia. We believe in creating jewellery from hand crafted local materials mixing these with semi-precious stones to create a sophisticated African look that puts money back into the local economy. We have won a lot of attention from celebrities and leading publications including National Geographic, Marie Claire and Departures because we use poachers snare wire, collected in by anti-snare patrols, in our jewellery creation. Transforming brutal snare wire into beautiful jewellery requires innovation, strength and tenacity and our jewellery design is a testament to our team’s work ethic and commitment. With every piece of jewellery sold we donate back to help fund more anti snare patrols and we have contributed over $112,000 since we started in 2013.
What inspired you to create Mulberry Mongoose?
There are a lot of ways to answer this question as so many things had to slot into place for it to happen. Firstly, my now husband, decided to propose to me and bring me from London to the middle of the African bush. I hadn’t been to Africa before so it was a real jump in the deep end moment. In my first year I learnt how to adapt to elephant blocking my path to work, baboon steeling bread from the kitchen and lion sleeping outside. I also met a great friend called Abi James from Soul Design Jewellery. She taught me how to hand craft jewellery and when she left at the end of the year, she left her box of beads with me to carry on. My love for jewellery making just expanded and any time I was in the UK visiting family I also did more and more jewellery courses. At the same time, I did an amazing book called The Artists Way By Julia Cameron. This 12-week course unlocks your perspective and opens you up to finding out what you really want to do with your life. To my surprise it became apparent I really wanted to run my own business. I didn’t have a huge amount of confidence, but I had so much drive and passion I found it hard to work for other people. I wanted to push myself as hard as I could. Last I have always felt strongly that reinvesting back into the world should be built into a businesses’ DNA. That they are not separate things, that you don’t have time to go out and save the world and then go to work, rather you need to combine them. It was so important to me to repurpose with all the waste in the world, to give back to conservation when I lived amongst such beauty and to invest in local women who shared my drive and desire for betterment. I was lucky to be able to combine all these forces into one, I think.
Can you tell us more about how the jewellery is made?
Yes, this is so important to the business. Our new supervisor just said to me, on arriving at our workshop ‘my goodness I have worked in different production roles but watching your jewellery being made I am struck by how much care goes into each step of the process’. I beamed with pride! We not only hand make each piece of jewellery we also buy local materials to give our jewellery it’s unique Zambian feel and to put money back into the local economy. We buy hand carved wooden beads, seeds, vintage coins from markets and guinea fowl feathers from farmers.
Most significantly we hand make the snare beads that are used in each design. Snare poaching is a brutal killer of our iconic wildlife. Snare traps are laid out in the bush to trap bushmeat for trade. Sadly, this is a painful, cruel and indiscriminate way of killing Africa’s wildlife. Much wildlife is trapped, maimed, and slowly killed through this process and it affects any animals from lion and leopard to elephant, wild dog and giraffe. Thankfully, the brave rangers of Conservation South Luangwa and Conservation Lower Zambezi patrol Zambia’s parks in partnership with the government DNPW Rangers. They collect this wire before it harms wildlife and dart and save ensnared animals.
Our courageous team then take this wire and transform it into beads. This wire is very hard to work with and it can take hours for us to create the pieces. But we love that we have transformed something brutal into something beautiful. Every time we sell a piece of jewellery, we give money back to help anti-poaching patrols. We also love that our jewellery becomes a talking point, a symbol of conservation and the ability to turn something bad into something good. It’s also a tool for sharing the issue of snare poaching with a wider audience so more people are aware and more people want to get involved and be part of the solution.
What drives you to continue supporting your community?
I really believe that business is holistic. What is the point in having a great business if everywhere around you is a disaster? I feel you cannot separate the wellbeing of our planet out from business, they have to be incorporated. So, I built our passion for supporting the wildlife and community into the DNA of the business. We need to make sales to survive as a company like everyone else, so we just focus on that. Every time we sell our jewellery we donate to wildlife, we pay local women and we use local artisans’ materials; we don’t have to think about doing this, it’s automatic. Our name captures our business purpose. The banded mongoose is a wonderful animal found here in the bush. They survive in the bush by being a community, one mongoose keeps watch while the others feed or babysit their young. Similarly, we grow as a business by creating invaluable employment in rural Africa and by helping to protect our wildlife. Mulberry is a British colour and I grew up in England with a Mulberry tree in my garden. As a business we strive to be as professional and efficient as any other Western business despite facing the very real challenges of working in a remote corner of Africa; ‘Mulberry’ symbolises that drive.
How is Mulberry Mongoose supported by tourism to the South Luangwa?
We are very lucky that lodges and agents believe in our story and share it with their guests. By so doing guests are aware we exist and can request to visit us and take a tour of our workshop. They can even try coiling snare wire to see how it feels and of course they can shop in our ‘Shop Less Ordinary’. It makes all the difference to our business and we are grateful to the commitment of local lodges to supporting our enterprise and others like ours.
What is your take on the the positive impact of tourism on Zambia, and on Africa as a whole?
Wow tourists make a huge impact. They are the protagonists and without them we cannot have the positive impact we do. They give back on so many levels. Firstly, by visiting the local lodges they create employment and help safeguard the wildlife in the Parks. Then by being interested in local projects like Mulberry Mongoose, they further extend their impact. When they go home and share our stories with passion, they spread the word and the positive impact they have already had. Not to mention how lovely it is to watch a tourist’s reaction to Zambia and particularly the South Luangwa. It changes peoples’ lives and the memories stay with them forever...we are lucky enough to see that and be part of it. I know my team have drawn a huge amount of confidence and personal growth through sharing their stories with tourists visiting our shop. They just love that part of their job!
Why is the idea of conscious or sustainable travel so important to you?
I feel travel is so positive. People open their hearts and minds when they are away from stress and the daily grind. They are more easily inspired, and they are able to really engage with a different culture and way of life. I am a firm believer in the importance of positivity and so that impact alone is good for the world. Sustainable travel not only broadens our minds, but it puts financial resources in parts of the world that need it the most. The South Luangwa is one of the world’s most extraordinary places. It is also a place with high unemployment, lack of decent health care and schools and many people live on the breadline. Through tourism so many jobs have been created and enormous investment has been put into the local environment by safari lodges based there. In addition, wildlife has been protected due to tourists’ desire to pay money to see it. It’s really a very positive process.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced due to COVID-19?
Sadly, and understandably tourism has all but disappeared during this hard time. This is the largest part of our income. In addition, our wholesale clients around the world haven’t been able to open and so we are yet more affected financially. However, the team are very courageous and determined and we were very grateful to have the support of our US Distributor Wildlife Artists Inc. They placed a very large order earlier in the year and we were able to fulfil it. This is helping me keep the team paid and safe leading into 2021. We are also working hard to push our online orders. We love sending our jewellery around the world and can do this efficiently using DHL. It is so exciting to hear client’s feedback when they receive their little slices of the African bush through their mail box. For many this is essential as they are desperately missing Africa.
Do you see a visible impact on visitors to the Mulberry Mongoose studio?
Gosh the way clients are impacted by what we do is one of the biggest joys in the whole process. I have pasted an email from a visiting guest called Rachel below. A lot of people feel inspired to go home and get creative, do the Artists Way and to ensure the values they hold dear are incorporated into their daily life which is magic.
“I wanted to extend a warm “hello” myself and let you know just how much I adore your brand and what an impact meeting Sarah, Grace, and the other ladies of Mulberry Mongoose had on me. We actually ended up visiting the store two days in a row as I was inspired to purchase more gifts for myself and the special women in my life.
Thank you for your passion and drive to create beauty, empower women, and transform communities. Your work in the world lights me up and that is indeed the greatest gift of all.”
What do you struggle with as a business?
Not having enough time to do all I want to do. It’s hard to get it all done and I am looking to find support on a managerial level for a lot of the different areas of the business. We are so remote bringing in consultants and machinery is challenging and expensive.
Are there any messages you want to get out there, or ways you need help?
Firstly, a thank you to anyone reading this. I am always amazed at how generous people are and how much they want to add value. How much time they will give to do just that. Please know it makes all the difference. For my team and I we work hard for our passion and nothing makes us happier than when people place online orders for themselves or their loved ones. If you need a gift and you love the African bush, please do keep searching for our brand or others like ours. Please know it makes a massive and very positive impact when you buy ethically or when you visit tourist destinations like ours on your travels. You really are changing lives.
