Mark with Solomon, Francis, and family


baskets in use


Pa Thomas and families

African Gift Basket filled with all of our Alaska Wild Salmon products.

The baskets are made by friends of Mark and Sara who live in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Mark worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 1980's in Kangahun, a remote village in eastern Sierra Leone, West Africa. He was taken in as a family member by Solomon Saidu and his brother Francis Kamara, both local subsistence farmers.

About Solomon and Francis

Civil war broke out in Sierra Leone in the early 1990's. The brutal war, largely ignored by the west, saw savagery beyond comprehension, with rebel forces terrorizing local farmers by kidnapping their children, cutting off limbs and appendages, and returning the crippled children as a sign of 'comply or else'. At the onset of the war, Kangahun was a target of rebel factions because of the diamonds and gold in the area. Solomon and Francis gathered their families and fled to Guinea, where they lived in a refugee camp for 5 years. They recently returned to Koidu, the capital city of the Kono province. They cannot return to their home village until they can rebuild their homes, which were destroyed during the war.

The baskets are constructed by hand by Francis, Solomon and their family from a plentiful woody vine found in the Sierra Leone rainforest. Each vine, about 1 to 2 inches in diameter, is repeatedly split, then cut to size, and woven by hand into baskets. Children learn to make these baskets at an early age, and the skill is passed from generation to generation. Sierra Leone farmers use these strong, long-lasting, functional baskets for carrying farm produce. We are selling these baskets at cost, along with our fish. Earnings from basket sales will enable Francis and Solomon to rebuild their homes, farms and lives.

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