Mulberry Mongoose
Kate Wilson - Zambia
Snare Jewellery - brutality to beauty
What is Mulberry Mongoose?
We are a group of 7 courageous local 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 and we take local materials from coins to seeds to handcraft extraordinary accessories. With every piece of jewellery sold we donate back to help fund anti snare patrols and have contributed over $100,000 since we started in 2013. We have won a lot of attention from celebrities and leading publications including National Geographic, Marie Claire US and Departures US because we use snare wire, collected in by anti-snare patrols, in our jewellery. To transform brutal snare wire into beautiful jewellery bead requires innovation, strength and tenacity and it's a testament to our team.
Why are we called Mulberry Mongoose?
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 the founder, Kate, grew up in England with a Mulberry tree in her 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.
Remember, these inspiring 'educators' are people who have deeply connected with a place, seen its beauty and understood its value, and in response they have set about building a legacy to persuade others to care for it.
So we have asked each educator
How do you persuade people to care?
Photo: Peter Scott
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CONNECTION TO THIS PLACE?
The South Luangwa basically awakened my soul. I was ‘dragged’ out by my now husband. He was from Zimbabwe originally and had been in the British army and now needed to return to the African Bush which was his passion. I was a bit lost, working in sales in London with no clue as to what I wanted from life. I was a very hard working, socially minded person but had no direction. Initially I was not happy in the African bush and was overwhelmed by the transition. It took time for my connection to build and that connection came through my work. I finally found a passion where my values could be celebrated. I could create invaluable employment, protect iconic wildlife all the while working passionately. At the same time I had my 2 daughters I built Mulberry Mongoose. It was a true evolution.. the beauty and the space of Africa enabled me to relax and just appreciate the ebb and flow of raw nature. Having children enabled me to soften and adapt and I could start thinking about the values I wanted for them and how I would like them to be passionate, caring people who connected with our planet and embraced the raw joy and peace that comes from nature. I also just wanted them to be happy and I let go of a lot of Western thinking around what that looked like. All the while Mulberry Mongoose was growing despite me being a young mother or perhaps because of it. My connection with my team of ladies deepened as we were all mothers with the shared goal of working for our kids. We learnt from each other and just as I helped them grow they helped me grow as a person. The African bush crept into my soul if I am honest.
WHAT DID YOU FIND SO BEAUTIFUL ABOUT THIS PLACE?
The African bush has real beauty it’s honest and striking and sometimes ugly but always beautiful. We are inspired by it’s ‘rugged beauty’. A land of contrasts, harsh realities mixed with peace and tranquillity. You could be watching a glass like river with hippo calling and elephant strolling past, impala quietly drinking and then a crocodile might grab the antelope and pull it into the water and suddenly life’s cruelty will appear. 10 minutes later all will be tranquil again. It is life, this circular real place of life and death. There is no pretence in the African bush, that’s all stripped away. You feel it, you don’t think it.
WHAT MAKES YOUR PLACE SO VALUABLE?
Africa has a special place in many people’s hearts. I love her untamed quality, despite her being the oldest continent no one has got a handle on her yet. She is too soulful to be contained is how I think of it. I don’t want to see a ‘tamed’ Africa and the African bush must always be wild and raw. That’s important to humanity a place to escape how lost we got in things that just don’t matter. So many people walk into the African bush and get a feeling of peace and deep calm, people desperately need that. The wildlife fill me with awe, they are so present and they deal with such challenges with grace and acceptance. The South Luangwa goes up to 44 degree heat in October with a severe lack of water.. to watch wildlife accept this and push through to November and December and those first rains is extraordinary. They accept the natural cycle of life and adapt to it. There is such diversity in the African bush, no animal looks the same. I mean check out a giraffe and an elephant.. and yet both are remarkably well adapted to survival. Everything is interdependent and peaceful whilst still being raw and real. It’s just magic.
HOW ARE YOU BUILDING YOUR LEGACY TO GENERATE CARE?
I still feel very much at the beginning of what I can offer. I think my core legacy is mixing a business mind with a passion for giving back. I am a big fan of creating a solution to a problem rather than just pointing out the problem and worrying about it. Mulberry Mongoose addresses an issue in a positive way and attracts a broader audience to get involved in being part of a solution.
By taking snare wire, collected by brave rangers and transforming it into something positive we have made over $100,000 for conservation. That’s 8 local people generating a lot of money through hard work which is inspiring; they also have provided for their own families despite not getting to finish school themselves.
People love to shop, it gives them a lift. By taking this awful issue of snare poaching and creating something positive we are raising awareness and empowering our clients.
I love that we are creating a small but significant solution by empowering local women and repurposing something brutal into something beautiful. I think the legacy would be in the creation of this positive equation.
A community-based program that empowers local women and assists African wildlife!
Women-Run Jewelry Shop Works For Conservation in Zambia
BY MICHAELA TRIMBLE
https://www.nationalgeographic.com › 2018/05
May 17, 2018 - On average, it costs about $60 to fund a full-day anti-snaring patrol with 6 scouts, where up to 50 snares can be removed. To date, Mulberry Mongoose has raisedaround $75,000 to aid in these efforts.