Blog

"A single bracelet does not jingle."- Congolese proverbThe team at Mbare is a microcosm of the wider world: We’re diverse, and often surprising. We span three continents.   Robbie, our found … read more

My enduring love affair with antiques began with a basket, so it’s fitting that I’ve landed here at Mbare. Four or so decades ago, I drove from my home in D.C. to interview for a job in Baltimore.&nbs … read more

When Elaine Belleza, who led a creative industry program for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), sent our founder Robbie Stewart over a decade ago to Senegal to identi … read more

There are many words to describe David Ballam’s photographs, but “timid” isn’t one of them. Try a different “t” word: “Trust.” The level of confidence between subject and photographer is pal … read more

Ancient oral tradition holds that the people of Malawi descended from the sun. When they landed on earth, they continued to harness the powerful sun energy that to this day animates their kind spirits … read more

“The days are long, but the years are short” is a poignant quote about parenting, about how the sometimes dull, repetitive stresses of childrearing turn out to be fleeting, as the years too soon disap … read more

Most of us are familiar with the lore regarding the Inuit language: There are upwards of 50 words for snow! Far fewer know that the Shona people of Zimbabwe have 200 different words to describe the st … read more

At the time of this writing, the United States is in the midst of an election, and humans across the globe are craving connection in the midst of a pandemic. People of good faith want to make an impac … read more

Most everyone likes a good drink. Beer, wine, scotch on the rocks... whatever your pleasure. And of course we need water to sustain us. And everyone, it seems, has a favorite glass from which to drink … read more

Our founder Robbie Stewart had this to say in his recent message regarding the pandemic: “The uncertainty that we are all experiencing today is something that many people in Africa live with on a … read more

Nearly twenty years ago, Tonga Textiles was founded by Zimbabwean-born and raised Jeremiah Makaza. Located on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe, Tonga Textiles is a fair trade business embodied by a p … read more

Greetings everyone! In these very strange times we live in due to the corona virus pandemic, I want to share my thoughts and perspectives with YOU, our valued customer.Growing up in Zimbabwe and trave … read more

Working in both the US and Africa and needing to travel between those places often has required some adaptation on Robbie and Maria’s part when it comes to family life. In their own unconventiona … read more

Our gorgeous collection of baskets from Senegal are woven by master weavers that not only are experts at what they do, they are also mothers, sisters, wives, friends working together in organized s … read more

Mbare was born out of an independent study taken during the time that our founder, Robbie Stewart, was enrolled in the TCU MBA program from 1992-1994. “During the second year of the MBA program, while … read more