Bead by Bead Reviving an Ancient African Tradition: The Monkeybiz Bead Project

Reviving an ancient beading tradition in Southern Africa, this resource showcases the funky, innovative, and visually stunning bead art created by the woman of MonkeyBiz, a uniquely successful grassroots project that gives employment to poor women and provides them with skills training and HIV/AIDS support. The project now employs 450 disadvantaged women from around Cape Town, and serves as a model for non-governmental organizations and individuals who wish to harness creativity to create employment and empowerment.

Barbara Jackson is one of South Africa’s best known artists and has been creating unique and beautiful ceramics for more than 30 years. She is the founder of Monkeybiz; an organization that takes care of people’s needs while harnessing their creativity. Kristy Evans began working with Monkeybiz in 2005 as the special projects and organizational development manager.