73: Creating community through commerce, with Bianca Black.
In the community of Hoedspruit, Limpopo in South Africa, people's lives are interlinked. The adage "it takes a village" is a truism here. People depend on each other, as they each contribute something valuable as well.
The town is both farm and safari; The perfect setting for travelers looking for both simplicity and adventure within nature. Giraffes (Twiga in Swahili) make everyday appearances.
So naturally, the global impact of COVID-19 has been devastating to this travel-based community. And yet, many of its residents are looking for possibilities rather than worries.
My theory is that the culture is rooted in sufficiency - appreciation for what is, instead of longing for what isn't. This way of seeing the world, is fuel for creativity. When you love what you have, you have energy to create more.*
Which is exactly what my guest, Bianca Black, has done. Her Mission has always been to celebrate people and contribute to her community. She has an eye for beautiful things, and a desire to share stories. She also has access (resources, privilege, and language) to create a platform that brings people together.
She decided to pivot her business, alongside partners Jana Winterboer and Christie Fynn Morgan, to build Africa Unboxed, a curated box of treasured items from local artisans. Every object has a story, and so does every box.
”Every handmade object has a life story. When you buy handmade, you become a part of the story."
In this episode, Bianca and I are talking about creating community through commerce. We talk about the mission behind all of her businesses (what led to this pivot) and where they are going next with Africa Unboxed. I hope you enjoy this brilliant conversation with Bianca Black.
Ps, make sure you are subscribed to the show, and I’d love to hear what you think of this episode! Take a screenshot in your player and tag me @linsibrownson on Instagram. Also, I'm doing stories all week of the gorgeous items from my box! Be sure to tune in there.
*Sidebar: The stories of people in Hoedspruit being happy in spite of circumstances, touches me deeply. I feel connected to them as humans, because I've also learned that circumstances don't create happiness - our thoughts do.
But sufficiency doesn't mean that it's okay for people to go hungry. It doesn't mean that we, the privileged ones who hear these stories, should believe that people are fine because they are happy. It isn't intended to bypass the challenges of poverty and systemic abuse that so many people face daily.
The purpose of sufficiency is to free up your energy, so you can do better in the world. So you can think at a higher level, and focus on others without depleting yourself. I believe this is a state of being that improves the quality of our lives. It's available to all of us, no matter where we live, what resources we have or don't have.
Links
Visit Africa-Unboxed.com
Follow @kuku_interiors and @AfricaUnboxed on Instagram
Sound editing is provided by Erik Hulslander at hearnoevilmedia.com
Schedule a coaching consultation at https://www.linsibrownson.com/get-started
Transcript
You are listening to Be Brilliant in Your Business, the podcast for small business owners to be focused, energized and in charge as you build the business you love.
Hey guys, how you doing? Today's episode is a special interview episode. As you know, I don't do a whole lot of interviews on the show anymore. So when I do have a guest, it's because I'm really excited to share them and what they have to say with you.
I take my guests very seriously. Okay, don't take my guests seriously. But I do take selecting the people who I want as guests. pretty seriously, I'm not here to waste anybody's time, I want this to be valuable for everybody.
So this is a total tangent, but I get tons of pitches, as you can probably imagine, for people to come and be guests on the show. And I accept none of them. So this was not a pitch, this was a genuine connection that I made with my guest, and I really loved what she had to say. I'm dragging this out.
I want to introduce you to Bianca black. She is the owner of KUKU Interiors in South Africa, and she's the co-creator of a new service product called Africa Unboxed. So we're going to talk about that.
And the reason why I wanted to have her on the show...actually, I'm just going to tell you a little story of it. So Bianca is a fan of the podcast and she had reached out to me, I think it was on Instagram, a while back and just said, "Hey, I'm in South Africa. I'm a fan of yours. And maybe I'm your first listener all the way on the other side of the world." And I was like, this lady is really cool, so we've been following each other on Instagram. I love watching her stories.
And then she reached out a few weeks ago and had this idea that she wanted to share with me. This has nothing to do with what we're talking about on the show, but for that reason, we jumped on a zoom call, and got to know each other a little bit. And I just loved her immediately. She's so warm and friendly and passionate about everything that she does. And in addition to that, she has a really cool business. And this new concept that they've launched called Africa Unboxed, which came out of the Coronavirus.
So she's coming on the show, and this is a pivot story that we're going to talk about. We'll talk about why they chose to pivot, but really just a broad overview, because we touched on this a little bit.
She lives in a town, a small town in South Africa that's entirely based in tourism. And so it's no surprise that as the borders have shut down, things have really changed in their town. And so they're not looking at this as though this is the end of the world. But it is creating this pause the stop and reflection of saying, what really matters here. How do we continue to thrive as a community? How do we make sure that our families keep being fed?
And for people like Bianca, it's how do we still go out in the world and create bigger things that are aligned with our mission? How do we continue to do the work that we really want to do in the world but in a new and different way? And so we're on this zoom call getting to know each other a few weeks ago and she just told me so many amazing stories about
The people that they work with and the driving through the bush, and I really want you to go and follow her on Instagram. It's KUKY Interiors. They just have the most fun posts, they have images. They live in a safari. So they have images of zebras, images, videos of zebras and giraffes and animals that are just everyday life for them. But they're just so fascinating and fun. But her passion for the people that she works with and her curiosity and excitement to go out and explore and continue to find and curate these products. It's just so inspiring.
But it's also really grounding, right? It shows us that across the entire world, we have these inner desires and these special I can't think of a better word than gifts, but we have these gifts that we know we're here to give To the world, and this desire that we have as humans to continually cultivate that and explore it and try new things and just see what life really can offer to us if we're following our passions if we're doing something that we really love to do. So she just really embodies that. I love that so much about her. And this is especially fun if you are feeling a bit of Wonder lest being stuck at home.
You will love their Instagram and check out Africa Unboxed on Instagram as well. That's a they're relatively new account, but great stuff there as well follow them both. So before we jump into the interview, I do want to tell you also go and check out my Instagram because I'm posting stories this whole week of the items that came in my box.
So we'll talk about Africa unboxed but these are curated gift boxes with really unique and interesting one of a kind items from the community. In South Africa, so I received a box and I am making videos actually did an unboxing video, which is not great. But it does show you all of the beautiful products that I received in mine. And so everyone is different. They're all special. And Bianca is packaging them for individual people, which is so cool. And so on my stories, I'm sharing the stories of each of the items in the box, because that's a big part of what this is the provenance and the meaning behind all of the items that we bring into our lives. And so I want you to go and check that out on my Instagram and just make it big love fest on Instagram. definitely connect with Bianca. She's so lovely and wonderful. And then I'm going to link to all of the stuff in our show notes as well. But you can find them again, it's KUKU Interiors, and Africa Unboxed and also mine of course Linsi Brownson on Instagram. Alright guys, let's jump in. I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Bianca black
Linsi Brownson 7:00
Hello, Bianca, welcome.
Bianca Black 7:02
Hi, Linsi how are you?
Linsi Brownson 7:04
I'm doing so well. How are you?
Bianca Black 7:07
Good, good. Very, very happy to be having finally this conversation and chatting to you. We follow you from South Africa and just love your podcast or the information again, all is up and coming business owners in the creative field. Thank you so much for inviting me here.
Linsi Brownson 7:25
Well, I am really thrilled to have you here too. There's so much stuff that I want to share. So you and I had connected a few weeks ago. Just to connect, right, and we were kind of talking about what you've been up to. And I really wanted to bring you on the show because I love the energy and the passion that you have in general for your work and for what you're doing with all of your businesses. I'm also vicariously living through you as you tell stories of monkeys showing up on your back patio. Oh, I just I love what you're doing. I love what you represent. And I really wanted you to come on and share all of this and where you're taking your business with our listeners.
Bianca Black 8:06
Thank you so much.
Linsi Brownson 8:07
Awesome. So to kick us off, tell us a little bit about where you live.
Bianca Black 8:13
Okay, so I stay in a little town called Hoedspruit, which is about six hours drive from Johannesburg on the Kruger National Park, you know, boundary. And we basically at a tiny little town, we don't have a hospital. We basically surrounded by farms, food producing farms, and we have a full space. And we also have the safari that's actually the biggest, the biggest industry here besides the farmers. So we support about it's a tiny little community. We don't even have a traffic light. But we have we support about 150 lodges in this area, ranging from small bnb many tourists from all over the world that come and total airport Yeah. And and come and Safari, some going right up to the big sort of thing. To sort of lodges, but yeah, basically started as a little Safari town. And the community I think started the farm community site in the 1960s. And the Air Force Base, I think started in the 1970s 80s. But it's a quite a sleepy little town. I must be honest.
Linsi Brownson 9:20
It sounds and looks so beautiful. And I love that what you're able to share through social media now, yay, right? It's really helping people kind of step into your world because as you and I were just talking offline, we don't recognize the bubbles that we live in, and how different the world at large is.
Linsi Brownson 9:44
And so getting these little windows into what your life looks like and what the sleepy town really feels like. It's so magical.
Bianca Black 9:53
That's amazing. And we have so many I must say yeah, we have so many new people moving into town from all over the world. In the eight years that I've been here, or wanting to just get out that, you know, the rat race is at the corporate life and just getting back to nature, and they and they just find a we just have so naturally I think South Africans are such good hospitality people, we just, we just welcomed people that we say, you know, overseas when they walk down the cheap, no one greets him here. We invite him to a hospital the first data such says, Yeah, that I think that's I think we are just very hospitable people because we live we, you know, we our main business is hospitality with the lodges and and the surrounding sort of areas we're based in.
Linsi Brownson 10:34
Yeah, absolutely. And just from what you're talking about, with the farming communities and the Safari and just the, the small nature of the place, it sounds like community and relying on people, right, having people
Bianca Black 10:48
Very much so. Yeah all integrated, you know that there's that the I'm not sure which time set the correct word I've never said record but all the people who are interlinked. All our businesses are interlinked. So, you know, you've got the local, wishy washy, you know, we call them wishy washy the laundromats or service. It doesn't matter what you do, you're all working together, there's a lot of metric going on. A lot of families here might have multiple businesses, they, you know, they do have a couple of business to keep things going, especially in today's times now, but the environment, we are really blessed and bombed is just so beautiful. We, we sometimes just gotta take it, you know, take a step back and just think it's it's a beautiful world out there. And everyone else has such so many stories to tell. And we we love to have the tourists to come and tell all these stories where they come from.
Linsi Brownson 11:43
Yeah, absolutely. So there were a few things and what you said where I was like, "oh, yes, I want to jump into that." And one of the things is that it's interesting what you're talking about being interlinked, and no matter what business you have, what I would call it a role right? What role we have in this world that like, I feel like so much of what our recent, especially this year, but even the recent few years have been leading more and more of us to this awakening to this recognition that what we desire is the connection.
Bianca Black 12:18
I think I know a human's essence is to connect, you know, we're not meant to be alone. We, we learn it, we learn, we want to learn, we want to grow. And I think what happened in the past before COVID, everyone was just on this treadmill, you know, just you know, school runs, business, you know, hardly spoke to your family. And after being forced into lockdown, just it was a pause button just to reset. And just take a step back and think, you know, what is important to me? What's important to my environment and to my community? And what makes us happy? Not just what brings us joy, you know?
Linsi Brownson 12:53
Absolutely. Yeah. So you mentioned people having a few business notices and then being interwoven and having these multiple areas This is your experience, right? You have a few businesses.
Bianca Black 13:09
So I am I've got an interior business so that's why I actually connected with you because of your, your podcast of the business and the creator cited which I just loved. So I started off with India back six, seven years, my hobbies in the in the large business so he runs three lodges and both are passionate his community my husband speaks fluent Zulu, which is a local language. So he often gets called into like mentor meetings and translating that and going out into the rural areas. We came across many sort of artisans that had no platform to display the culture and heritage, you know, whether it's dancing arts or textiles.
Bianca Black 13:50
So, so I thought, No, we need to get these people out there. A lot of them don't have Wi Fi you know, they'll have a cell phone but they don't have strong you know, signal. It's expensive. So we decided to start a little business called Africa unboxed, which was actually actually I go right back to how we really started with the tours. We wanted to do tours, bring people here and meet these people and take them into the into the township, show them what they're doing, explain these stories and hopefully grow into long term operating business that we could share the knowledge and these people could buy items from them and take it back.
Bianca Black 14:26
And then COVID hit and we just had we had had tourists yes since nine since March and and they saying only till January next year, so it'd be a good 10 months of the borders will be closed. And it's been dismal. We've had lodges closing down we've had tech, you know, to operators, transport operators closing down at the little artisan Gaskell Bumble along and they carry on and saw the ways they said positive it's almost sure one of my concepts, musicians, you know, we got to grow You go into the cities and everyone's on antidepressants, you just come out into these communities and they have absolutely nothing. And yet they're still happy. They're happy to share.
Bianca Black 15:09
So we started Africa unboxed, which is basically curated little boxes of atoms from from hopefully, we want to concentrate in our area but be busy growing the network, but sourcing from all over Africa and and giving the boxes names local woman's names. And and we targeting people like the gift gift world, corporate corporate gifts, housewarming gifts, wedding gifts, anything if you've got a passion for something and you want something that's really special. That's what we put together. Hopefully growing that to bringing when the board is finally opened up to bringing groups across to meet these people.
Bianca Black 15:51
And hopefully we can do a caliber collaboration with an architect or designer overseas. That's looking for 100 beautiful carved handles. Then we can do that for them. And then we will just, you know, put the whole order together for them, make sure it gets exported correct documents and and be the connector between the artisan and the and the end user, the consumer. So that's it in a nutshell.
Linsi Brownson 16:16
That's amazing. Okay, so I love it. So the mission, I'll just sort of recap what I heard, right? But the mission behind this for you really has always been to connect the artisans and to give them a platform to really be sharing their work with the outside world. And initially, your vision was to do that by creating these tours by bringing people to you, taking them on safari, showing them around having them shop with the artisans and meet the artisans, which is such an amazing idea. I love this so much. And then Coronavirus, and the quarantine and just the changing world has had you asking the question instead Instead of looking at like, Well what are what's going wrong really asking the question like what else can we do what other ways can we approach this you're going to be up to this amazing idea to curate and put boxes together to ship you ship everywhere right?
Bianca Black 17:15
We ship everywhere, so basically on our website we've got the process of boxes and then depending on which area just calculates the current, you know, the the freight freight charges, but we we very open if you, you know, even if there's something on the website, they don't, they can't find and say look, we're looking for a certain item, we go out and source it for the clients. We happy to do that. We are also happy to work with other designers and and collaborate and do a textile design, but basically that it can be the connection between the artisan and the consumer. And I think it just also adds, it also makes I think as a consumer. It adds a bit of a safety factor. If I can put it like this because we know that area, we know where to go. We know how it operates. Yeah. So when it comes to export, we can do it. And also, I think it's important for the consumer to know where their item comes from that it's not bought in a curious shop at an airport. I think it's a such a much, much specialty See, the hands have made it?
Linsi Brownson 18:17
Absolutely. I I completely agree. And one of the things that I love so much is that you really focus on telling the stories of the artisans, and then telling the stories of the items as well. And I believe that that is. So when I was in the retail world, we were always looking for items with provenance. And that was our main focus is like if we're going to sell something, we want it to have meaning to us. So there's like a personal connection to bringing something in and then exchanging it for money, right. And then there's also a connection it's how do I want to say this, it's like actually creating communities through commerce.
Bianca Black 19:01
Correct. Yes. And going back to the old trades, you know, we, you know, nothing's exactly the same stuff. It has a flat floor and it's got all the crack and it's, it's meant to be there. That's the way it is. You'll never get another, you know carving that's got a little knot and that spots all individual, especially for the cause my area we in our province is called Limpopo, which is named after one of the big rivers. I think it's an obtained in Africa on the 10th longest river in Africa. We have a huge history of cultural lack accord, the land of myth, and legend is a lot of sort of mythology here with the communities going back hundreds and hundreds of years. I mean, they were trading with Arabs and Chinese. In you know, six 700 years ago, trading Aryan gold was blast eaten ceramics that it's unbelievable that there was this whole trade route going on in this area. And it's only starting now to come back. People are finding artifacts. I have a middle column your copies this little metal hills here and you can go you'll find ceramics trading beads. It's it's quite amazing if there's a huge amount of heritage here.
Linsi Brownson 20:13
That's beautiful. And yeah, I love that even just thinking about carrying on history through the choices
Bianca Black 20:20
Keeping that thread. Keeping that thread going because that's another big thing I think laughs becomes so fast that we've lost track of our past we forget who we are and we forget where we came from. And and what we finding and we did discuss this is that the the old that the older women that are doing these, these, you know, the poetry or carvings the older generation, the younger generation are battling to slot in because they they've got this sort of one foot in the Western world and one foot and their cultural history and try to breach that as well and get those two two meats that if they can see that they can make our businesses and be trendy and beat Cool, you know, that's it's actually quite cool to be able to carve something and to make a ceramic pot. You know, it's, it's a calling.
Linsi Brownson 21:08
Yeah. I love that. And, yeah, so part of the mission with your platform is that you want to help those people have this voice, like we were getting we had talked about this initially, it's why I bring it up now. But with using social media as a way to entice and make that connection and show younger generations, like creating things feels so satisfying. And then you're able to also share it out with the world and see other people responding to it. And so you having this strong desire to create the platform to be able to do that and to show people Hey, there's so there's value here.
Bianca Black 21:49
Yes, we actually had a I had a meeting last week with a group of people but they're actually good friends of ours from from a journalistic background. They're talking to us about that. doing live streaming going in to these rural areas and, and going to one of streaming live and people can just log on and say ask questions of other artists we've we the woods from what inspires them. And we're very excited about that and also for the communities they they love it, you know, in a TV camera. They've it's it's a big, you become quite a big deal.
Linsi Brownson 22:27
Sure. Yeah.
Bianca Black 22:29
So we had to get that going soon.
Linsi Brownson 22:31
That's amazing. Yes, I just love this idea of, you know you in the position that you're in have the ability to provide the access. And just like you said earlier, it creates this further connection and it creates this further intertwining of here's what I can bring to the table, I can bring the Wi Fi I can bring the ability to curate and to do the customs and to you know, box everything up and then make the connections out In the world, and what you bring to the table is this really beautiful craft, and a desire to put a piece of yourself into everything that you create and by bringing that together and creating that access, you are forever linked, right and then so is the person purchasing.
Bianca Black 23:17
Exactly and such purpose, it gives you such job, you know, such a sense of satisfaction to be part of that whole link. Because it cycle ends we all need to work together to get something done, you know, and and community is there to work together. If you don't have it. There's a saying here, village children arranged by villages, not by parents, because everyone gets together to help to raise you. It's not just one or two people. It's all the people you meet that will change and make and put you on a different path in your life.
Linsi Brownson 23:49
Yeah, it's so true, and it's true everywhere. But it's interesting, as you're saying that I'm realizing here in America, we have that saying, and we have our own version of it. Right like it takes a village, but we don't truly live it the way that you guys live it where it's really literally taking a village.
Bianca Black 24:08
Yes, it's literally taking a village and, and a lot of these sort of communities are run by a woman. They they are the matriarchs, it's very much a matriarchal society that they, you know that they're very, they're quiet, they sit back they keep to themselves but when big decisions need to be made, the grandmother or the grantor the grand ons are very important you know, for a gent wants to come and oscillate to get married, it's going to pay is going to pay lobola which is like a dowry diary. But the females the ladies will have a bench of the final say they're very influential on how many cars gets, you know, bought or sold or exchanged for these, these ladies and it's so lovely to have this Western life example in a wedding you had the Western influence, but you still got that cultural influence. As well coming through and I don't want people to lose that I want them to keep it going. But it's so important, so important for you to pass on to your children.
Linsi Brownson 25:09
Yeah.
Bianca Black 25:11
And custodians, you know.
Linsi Brownson 25:12
Do you feel like, when women are the ones making the determining the decisions on the value of a marriage, that we value women higher?
Bianca Black 25:25
I think women are slowly starting to get the voice. I mean, it's, you know, there's still some areas in Africa where women are, are not treated equal. But I am seeing in my personal capacity I'm seeing they step back but when an important decision gets to me made a very much that the input is valued. I mean, we've had cases where we Benny's that the children misbehave, you know, they have that sort of meetings and the town hall and they paid your father the father's but yeah, if they if they if man mothers get hold of them, the grandmother So so you know the boys are misbehaving and carrying on but I do think women are slowly starting to get their voice and stand up and and it's becoming a woman are getting recognized even though this whole COVID thing or the the female leaders have stood up and and given it you know the country that are run by female leaders and they've done really really well and it's at home maternal instinct kind of a caring, you know, the leadership with caring the softness that comes with it.
Linsi Brownson 26:29
Yeah, absolutely. And the consideration and concern for all. Yes, people in the group.
Bianca Black 26:36
Yes. I love that.
Linsi Brownson 26:38
So amazing. Oh, where do I What do I want to ask you next? So yeah, let's talk about I want to talk about these boxes. So you had mentioned carvings and candles and textiles and these kinds of pieces. Tell us about one of these boxes look like how do you You curate them who are you curating them?
Bianca Black 27:02
Yeah, so basically, we've sort of identified certain artisans in our area that which has made many the Carver's the Carver's have been going back years and years because to call them Popo in the local vendor cultures or it's a calling that they say your answers quickly to carbs it's very very spiritual. So we really try to push the Carver's Unfortunately, we can't get them into the boxes because they know me. So slowly, slowly introducing it, but the candles are lit a candle you know, for me, it's such a special tomato candle. If you know after a long day, it's spiritual as well. And our candles are made in South Africa, the hand porcher and a portion of each candle that we sourced for the company is sourced from Cape Island goes back into certain foundations like the peaks piece of Fox Foundation, which is almost like the African version of WWF.
Linsi Brownson 27:55
Okay,
Bianca Black 27:57
and the other one is, I'm trying to think of the other name. The person organization is Care for the wild. Yes, they they run orphanages for baby rhinos. So portion of the candle from the safari days range bows to them. So we slowly kind of work within our community. I'd like to go to Zanzibar and Kenya, but we just can't get there the stage with with borders being closed. But I thought it starts in our own backyard and starts with our local guards. And the other day, I found out there's a lady here making glass beads, who supplies all the Christmas decorations from International Airport in South Africa. I don't even know she's from my area, and no one knows about it.
Linsi Brownson 28:40
Wow.
Bianca Black 28:41
Yeah. So it's all these little gems that we slowly starting to find. So each box is different. Each box has a little story. It takes us a lot of manpower, you know, because the distances are so far, you know, to drive 30 kilometers Texas or I don't know that's in miles a times. That's But it takes us about an hour and a half because of the roads are so bad. And there's no dresses, there's no physical address, you're busy, you basically use landmarks, you know, go to the top of the ridge turn round to the Big Bear Bear tree, you know, you'll see so and so probably in the, you know, the heart of the white wall. And we go and find these guys and, and ladies making these incredible atoms.
Linsi Brownson 29:22
That's what's so cool. And how do you so other than here's my question, do you go out on sourcing adventures? Or how do you learn about new people like this beadmaker?
Bianca Black 29:36
Networking, so often the these a couple of other rules shop similar to what we've what we've got, which is like sort of African Cuban interiors. And I made friends with a lady in a town about two hours from us and she is very connected in the community and she often gives me leads and also just awesome people, you know, you know, do you know someone they can weave and then Put your two cents so he his mother used to we've gone talk to that person. Social media has been a huge thing for us, you know, Instagram, a lot of these areas like in Zimbabwe, these amazing projects and some Barbie weaving projects, and they slowly getting funding to get someone to run a little Instagram accounts. And that's it just basically it's almost word of mouth. Just networking.
Linsi Brownson 30:27
Imagine that. Yes. The foundation of all business.
Bianca Black 30:35
Yeah. Word of mouth. Very powerful.
Linsi Brownson 30:38
Yeah, I love it. And so I'm really excited to show you guys sent me a box. I'm going to show each of those pieces That's amazing, but I can't wait to show some pictures to people who this is new for because the images that you guys have on your Instagram, also on your website. I'm looking at the The vibrant soul collection and I just love so much. Yes. But I mean the the details of the textiles and you had the vibrant colors and the different textures, even within the pieces within the box, right so you have the wooden basket and then you have the carved stool, and then you have the soft candle. And it is such a luxurious experience even just to look at the image truly.
Bianca Black 31:30
We were very happy with our photographs. It's one of our a friend of Christie who's involved with African box Christy. She's got a company called hearty for elephants. She's like our partner here. her cousin's just moved here. And he happily volunteered to take photos, not realizing he really can take good photos. He came all the way from Dubai and he's moved here. And he took our photos but yes, it's I think that's for me. It's kind of Africa. Kind of passion, it's extremes. You know, you get it's hot and it's cold and it's dirty and it's clean and it's loud and quiet, you know, these all these extremes, which we try and get across, in in our cold, you know, the the boxes and in our interiors, even ourselves here trying to showcase you know, elements.
Linsi Brownson 32:22
Yes, then that's so interesting that you say that too, because it is the extremes and it's also this beautiful natural connection between the two.
Bianca Black 32:32
Right, an organic thread, organic thread that goes right through. Very much so. Very much so.
Linsi Brownson 32:41
Yeah, really raw and dangerous and vibrant, because not for sissies. Which is why when it opens back up, you guys will be running tours to keep everybody safe. Can't wait. Yeah, so just as an example, In these boxes, some of the ones I'm looking at here, we've got a woven basket we've got a textile It looks like a blanket. There's the candle, there's a carved stool like a really nice collection of these are home items right home and...
Bianca Black 33:16
Yes, home decor items or gift. The smaller boxes. The gift boxes are more like gifts for me, you know it's the lady's kimono and the candle or the hand with little hand stitched and bags, which were there and it's only one of those bags Lindsay we only we literally only got them to make one of each. And this is a community about an hour away from me. It's a lady who moved up here she saw the farm her husband's a farmer and who the farm laborers the wives while their husbands are actually on the farm working. She started to teach them how to bead and and stitch and they've started this amazing program where they've got to set up a little workshop she gets donations. And these these these ladies are making beautiful lanyards. And beaded necklaces, amazing quality, or intricate, and they did four bags fast. And those are the only four is only one of each. It's literally one of account. Oh my gosh, that's so cool.
Linsi Brownson 34:12
That is amazing. So I love the, the exactly like we're talking about I love the stories behind each of these that everything has meaning that everything meant something to the person making it all the way through. It's like the life story of an item of an object. If and I think especially in this current time, we're talking a lot about like cultural appropriation right and, and our desire to have this global experience, right and our desire to maybe bring home artifacts from travels and things that have meaning mementos and things like that for us, or even just expand beyond our little boxes that we live in by having pieces.. Yeah, and I mean so I think...go ahead...
Bianca Black 35:02
No, no carry on. Carry on. Sorry. I'm just getting so excited to be here.
Linsi Brownson 35:10
There's a lot of curiosity or concern even right about like, what, what does that mean? How do we incorporate this? How do we become global and be part of the global community and make sure that we are not taking advantage? Not exploiting?
Bianca Black 35:27
Yeah. And then I think that's, that's I mean, in the past on our area, that was a big concern. You know, 1015 years ago, we had people coming down buying these carvings for next to nothing and ending up in beautiful homes in New York, London and being charged a fortune and these, these cards are literally literally, literally from hand to mouth. What the as they get money in it's used to buy food. It's used to pay for school fees. It's used to put shoes on the children, you know, feet.
Bianca Black 35:59
And so to get that fine balance of everyone, everyone can live off this talents that these people have, and be fair to them and given pride given dignity, you know, at the same time and we are very humbled to be allowed to share a shared with them, you know, they, I promise you, I've learned so much from these communities that they teach us every day. The hardship they teach us every day because they're just so humble. And they carry on their carry on.
Linsi Brownson 36:31
Yes. And happy. Like you said, joyous. And loving what is Yeah, that's amazing. I love it. And so and I do feel like this the ability to hear and understand stories and to make this personal connection. Again, why I really want to share what you're doing with Africa Unboxed with people is because I want them to be getting to know you.
Linsi Brownson 36:56
And I want them to be hearing these stories and seeing these stories and having this inspiration and making that connection with all of the goods, not just the ones that will come from you and their boxes, but with all the things that we buy in the place that we choose to spend our money, what really matters to us what is important in our lives.
Bianca Black 37:16
The consumer wants to know where their money is going to get there. Do you know we more educated consumer now? I think people want to know, they'd rather have lists, but more meaningful items. You know, it's you know, you don't need 50 million pairs of shoes, you know, two three shoes, maybe five for some people that literally, man me, my husband's a prime example. He lives in thought, you know, these sort of, we call them flip flops. I don't know what you call them. They're like open sandals. And we had to go to a wedding. So we had to combine shoes, but he's got he's got trainers and flip flops. That's all he earns, because that's all he needs, he says.
Bianca Black 37:54
"I only wear one pair at a time," you know?
Linsi Brownson 37:57
Yeah. I love it. So yeah, so you guys sent me a box, which was so lovely, thank you so much. I'm really, really appreciative and one of the things that I loved so much about it and I will definitely be sharing on Instagram images and videos of these items. But the heart of the monkey scarf that you sent him with is a it's a fairy tale. The heart of the monkey is a fairy tale. And it came with the whole story. Like I got to learn about not only the fairy tale and the story behind the art, but also the artist and like really getting that experience of every single piece. It comes back to this it was curated, right you sent "me" this box.
Bianca Black 38:42
Yes! And I actually I went I went in and I saw I said, what kind of Linsi look beautiful in and I said, This blue is gonna look beautiful.
Bianca Black 38:54
So yeah, I think you get you can get on very proudly.
Linsi Brownson 38:58
Thank you. Yes, I'm so appreciative. And it really does feel so special to be cared for like that. Right? Like you have to sailing that. Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Bianca Black 39:09
Yeah, the simple, simplest gifts that was the most, you know, doesn't have to be fancy. It could just be just a gesture, kind gesture as well, you know, just going back to gifting and making people feel special.
Linsi Brownson 39:20
Absolutely.I love it. So, tell me what is the vision that you have for African box? Where would you like to see this going?
Bianca Black 39:28
Um, well, I'd really like to grow within, like I said, an animal province to get the artist and going and I'd like to connect with architects and designers overseas that are working on projects. I see us eventually doing a little tours bring people over and sourcing procuring for them, you know, and setting up these little labs, these think tanks of coming up with new Amazing Designs and we also need guidance. You know, we we don't really always know the trends but if actually sending not just a small box but sending a big box, you know, that's literally like a container. You know, say let's this has been made, get a group of people together and and send bigger boxes and and expand. But I really believe I got to start in my neighborhood and that's what I would be trying to do is get it going in an idle area here.
Linsi Brownson 40:20
Yeah, that's amazing. And you had mentioned to design collaboration so designers want to work with these artisans and come up with these things, which are rare.
Bianca Black 40:33
Awesome.
Linsi Brownson 40:34
Amazing. That's so exciting. I of course have so many ideas of like, oh, what about this? What about that?
Linsi Brownson 40:43
We could talk forever but I want to send out a call to action to our listeners. If this is appealing to you, if you are really resonating with their whole mission...And you've got to look at some of these items. What Bianca's doing, and the company, and the community, I want to ask you to put on your thinking hats and think about how can I support it? Who can I connect Bianca with? What can I do? And who do I want to get a gift box for?
Bianca Black 41:13
I would love that! Just to, you know, just to say hello.
Linsi Brownson 41:10
Yes, and see where this goes. Because this is exactly the word of mouth. This is the relationships that we build. And we never know where they're going to lead, but they're always valuable. Anytime we invest our energy in each other, we always get a return that's so much greater than we expect. My Stephen King totally agree to that ditto. So, Bianca, I could talk with you forever. Thank you so much for coming and sharing this much. Let people know how they can connect with you.
Bianca Black 41:49
Thank you. So I'm sure we'll probably our websites is would be on your on your podcast or its Africa-Unboxed.com and they can always, you know, connect there. Our email addresses on there as well. And even just Facebook, you know, through Africa Unboxed, through KUKU Interiors, which is our little shop that started this whole thing. You can also contact us through that.
Linsi Brownson 42:14
Amazing, and I highly recommend, and I will link up everything, but I highly recommend following KUKU Interiors, it's K-U-K-U Interiors on Instagram. Your photos, your brand, you recently rebranded and rebranded and it looks amazing, and it's also where you're going to sneak peeks of the local animals. It's a safari!
Linsi Brownson 41:10
You can live vicariously through Bianca, like I am doing, and when the borders open we can all visit South Africa and do a retreat there. Yes, okay. Look up Africa-Unboxed.com and yes, I will link up everything in the show notes. Bianca, thank you so much for being here. I love your work.
Bianca Black 43:05
Thank you so much for this opportunity and hello to all your listeners. I would love to hear from you.
Linsi Brownson 43:12
Fabulous, yes. Do it everyone, reach out to Bianca.
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