Akabare “Chairman” Abentara

Weaver. Teacher. Leader. NID Alumnus.
20 Years at Baba Tree.

“The level in which Baba Tree have lifted basket weaving, the financial support and the medical support…school fees support, medical support, the price of basket is very good as compared to the open market. I have the opportunity to go to India and also being able to organize my people well not to disappoint the company and the weavers also help me as a chairman”.

 Akabare was one of the first weavers I met when I found the village of Gambibgo – a village held in high esteem for it’s weaving. The Abentara house is renowned for the quality of it’s baskets. We’ve been through a lot together. From the time that my first assistant stole all of our money to the time when I was arrested at the business end of a half dozen AK-47s courtesy of other players in the industry who didn’t want us to travel to India, Akabare and I have been through it together. The stress that we endured prior to our departure was more than palpable. It turned out to be a feel good movie for all of us in the end. We triumphed. Akabare is a colour master. He has this ability of combining the most unlikely colours and making them sing. There is a Zen quality about his weaving…it’s effortless for the man. He is very much a leader amongst The Baba Tree weavers. He will dance the odd time, too. Akabare has 7 children.

“Smiling” John Akurugo Weaver

Teacher. NID Alumnus. Co-creator of The Baba Tree ‘Wave’ Technique. 20 Years at Baba Tree. 

“The peaceful environment and love shown to me by Ayinedollah gives me motivation. It is important for me to help Baba Tree develop and grow. Baba Tree has and is here to help and support us.”

I first met John 20 years ago when we were young men. He was a member of one of the weaving groups on the village of Gambibgo. When John travelled with The Baba Tree to the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India, he and graduate design student, Palash Singh, developed our signature Wave technique based on Palash’s ideas. Our Wave technique has revolutionized the industry in Bolgatanga and John was a big part of that. John smiles a lot and likes to watch me play air guitar. John is married with 5 children

Akolpoka Abisika

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer. NID Alumna. 15 Years at Baba Tree.

“Baba Tree has provided shelter for me to be able to concentrate and weave my basket without disturbance. Baba Tree I will call it a place off Happiness. I have learned so many new designs and also help my young and new weavers to learn how to weave the new designs to make the company stand tall.”

 Such warmth emits from this woman. Day in, day out, one can find her in the compound quietly leading the way for younger weavers. As is the norm for this area, she has an easy laugh and shows such dedication. An alumna of the NID in India. Akolpoka is married with 3 children and lives in the village of Winkongo.

Akeleba Nyaaba Asooe 

Weaver. Teacher. NID Alumna. 10 Years at Baba Tree. 

“I get commission from retail sale as additional income. Baba Tree has the best quality baskets, very original. For me the work is very important than any other thing.”

 Akeleba travelled with The Baba Tree to the National Institute of Design in India. Since then, she has gone from strength to strength in her work. Akeleba is married with 5 children and lives in the village of Winkongo.

Amoah Ayamga 

Hat Weaver. Teacher. 20 Years at Baba Tree.

 “…and good pricing as compared to the market and internet / commission other company don’t give commission to their weavers. All my life, I have dedicated my whole life to weaving hat basket.”

I first met Amoah when I went looking for his brother, D-4, in the village of Yipalla many years ago. He was part of the hat weaving group that I was working with at the time. Amoah has been with us all off this time. He rides his bicycle to work everyday and sits in our compound while he quietly weaves. He is a master hat weaver. Amoah is married with 6 children.

Anachinaba “Cash” Adongo

Weaver. Teacher. NID Alumnus. 10 Years at Baba Tree.  

“The different designs and the good price paid for my baskets. Our baskets are different from other companies. The support we get in medical and children school fees. Baba Tree is a God sent company. I get so much help from this company.”

Cash. We call him ‘Cash’ because he is the fastest weaver alive and has stupendous accuracy. He makes it all look so effortless. Disciplined! Supercharged Zen. But it flows…quietly. Cash has a powerful presence and is the quiet force in the room. He is such a great mentor. Yay Cash! Cash is married with 3 children and lives in the village of Dulugu.

Anamulka Azure

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer. 16 Years at Baba Tree.

 “Weaving for Baba Tree gives me more money than in the open market and I get support in terms of children school fees, medical support. Baba Tree has become my permanent office and so it is important for me to put up my best to bring new designs and weave well to bring in more buyers. As a teacher I get to weave new designs and also teach other weavers how to do same.”

Anamulka also used to be a late nighter where I would have to shoo she and her weaving mates away. She has the children to take care of now… Anamulka was there when we were all experimenting with our signature Wave technique allowing the technique to create different forms. She is a great teacher while taking care of others and her new baby who lies quietly on a mat beside her. Anamulka is married with 4 children.

Aniamah Akugre 

Weaver. Teacher. 20 Years at Baba Tree.

“He help me in paying my child school fees and my medical expenses. The quality of basket and the high process I like.”

Deaf as a post and tough as nails, Aniamah is one of the finest weavers in Bolgatanga. Renowned for the weight of her baskets owing to the tight weave of her work, Aniamah’s baskets stood out when I bought one in the market place 20 years ago. Finding her basket began an Odyssey which had me going from village to village on my bicycle looking for the weaver of this extraordinary basket. We found each other… Simply put, Aniamah is a wonderful human being. She is a single mother with 1 child.

Apaliyem “D-4” Akolgo

Hat Weaver. Teacher. Very Fancy Dancer. NID Alumnus. 20 Years at Baba Tree.

 “Going to India with qualification and passport. Medical support, Baba Tree is a peaceful place and internet commissions. As a teacher now I am task to weave in different designs and I teach others too.”

D-4. If anyone can bring down the house through their humour, it’s D-4. I first met him when I found one of his hats in the market place 20 years ago. The guy that was selling hats in the market told me off the man was who wove with such extraordinary precision and the village from which he came. Off I went on my bicycle in search of the village of Yipalla… Here we are 20 years later. Still together. With great regularity one can hear peels of laughter coming from the area where D-4 sits…he’s like that. D-4 is married with 6 children.

Aporkira Akolgo

Weaver. Teacher. 20 Years at Baba Tree.

“In all these 20 years are best for me because Baba Tree have be very supportive to me and other weavers. Baba Tree is unique, we have internet which gives us commission and buys in bulk. If I am allowed Baba Tree is my God on Earth and the Upper East Region.”

Always ready with a hearty laugh, Apokira and myself have been working together for 20 years when I first met her in one of the weaving groups I was working with in the village of Gambibgo. Apokira is married with 5 children.

Esther “Madame 1000” Asakeloro Aduko

Fancy Dancer. 11 Years at Baba Tree. 

“I am motivated by the new designs that keeps coming and the good price paid for my baskets Baba Tree is a unique company that cannot be compared with any other in Ghana. At home I could not weave these artisan baskets, but now I can and even able to teach others.”

Madame 1000 sells sweets when she is working. I steal them. She has a smile that illuminates the world and she is the sole creator of The Woman and Man basket, a design that has been copied to no end by other basket producers who fail to carry it off with the same flair and elan that Madame 1000 does (while they sell it at race to the bottom prices thereby devaluing the work). I adore Madame 1000. She is a fancy dancer. She lives in the village of Winkongo and has 4 children.

Assibi “Lydia” Ayelma Weaver

Teacher. Fancy Dancer. NID Alumna. 15 Years at Baba Tree. 

“The support I get from the Baba Tree in terms of children school fees, medical and food and money during COVID 19. Weaving at Baba Tree to be able to produce quality baskets and make money. Baba Tree is my helper."

 Assibi is another one who can set forth gales of laughter. She was one of the original ‘Bad Girls’ – a group of reverently irreverent women who would sit weaving together and let the mirth rip. It was only the other day - after all of these years – that I discovered that she had the unlikely name of Lydia. Assibi was one of us bunch who went to the NID in India to learn new weaving chops. She has been a great teacher and, as always, continues to produce great work. Assibi has 4 children.

Assibi Abanga

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer. NID Alumna.
10 Years at Baba Tree. 

“I like the workshops conducted and my trip to India. I like to weave baskets according to Baba Tree specification. Baba Tree is so marvelous to me.”

Assibi started riding her bicycle from Dulugu with Cash Adongo in order to bring her baskets to The Baba Tree. I noticed her extraordinary technique right away and she was eventually chosen to go and attend the National Institute of Design in India with the rest of The Baba Tree weavers that attended. She was another weaver who really helped create baskets using our signature Wave technique. She is known as being a great teacher. She is a fancy dancer and very tough. Assibi is married with 4 children.

Assibi Abisika

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer.
10 Years at Baba Tree. 

“Baba Tree if you work hard you can get real money you deserve and Baba Tree support us. Baba Tree is a wonderful company like no other. As a weaver though I use to get money from the baskets I weave but now as a teacher now I get paid that is an additional income for me.”

Beautiful Assibi. Mother to Baba Tree weavers, Punka Joe and Ben. We’re gifted with yet another wonderful human being who happens to also be an incredible weaver. She embodies serenity and carries a simple elegance.
 Assibi is married with 3 children and resides in the village of Winkongo

Assibi Abuga

Weaver. Dye Man. 4 Years at Baba Tree. 

“I like the support I get from the The Baba Tree company, especially the health support. All the other companies be compared to Baba Tree because there are many things Baba Tree is doing that the other companies are not doing, talking of good pricing of basket, commission, school fees, medical support etc. Baba Tree look like Jesus Christ to me.”

He sweats it out over a dye pot. He came on board a few years ago as one of our dye masters because of the burgeoning numbers of people that we had to serve in terms of dyeing their straw. He is also a master of the ‘single weave’ technique. Assibi is married with 3 children and lives in the village of Zaare.

Assibi Asaah

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer. NID Alumna.
20 Years at Baba Tree.

“The fact that I’m able to cater for my family and the love Baba Tree shows me in times of need. Baba is Ayindola (God be with us God follows him). I had a good time in India and what I learnt there made me a teacher and I am able to teach other weavers new design that I am assign with.”

Assibi has been there from the beginning. She was a leader of one of the women’s weaving groups in the village of Gambibgo when I first started trading with the folks in 2002. Assibi likes to weave big. She is a constant presence near the dance floor as she encourages younger dancers to dance the correct steps and chant the right chant in order to keep the tradition alive. She endured all that we endured before The Baba Tree crew were unleashed upon the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India. Assibi has 4 children.

Atanga Adongo

Weaver. Teacher. 10 Years at Baba Tree. 

“Commission from internet sale, medical support, children school fees, new designs and good prices for my baskets. Baba Tree is my lifeline and a good company. I am challenged to weave new designs that come and I get paid as a teacher as well.”

He always has a naughty look on his face…It bodes well for him because he has a super el fabbo sense of humour and deep, but restrained, laugh. Except when we shoot his portrait for internet sales. He is so unique. Atanga is an incredible weaver and a fabulous teacher. Atanga is married with 2 children and lives in the village of Gambibgo.

Attiah Asoba Enock 

Weaver. Teacher. 16 Years with Baba Tree. 

“Always we have new and challenging designs and makes me more creative. Baba Tree is so so unique. I feel more improved and more challenged to step up to teaching others.”

Attiah is a diffident soul…a quiet achiever. Years ago he used to say ‘’It can’t be done.” I pushed him very firmly. He passed through the hell fires and came out the other side with a newborn confidence. I’m proud of him. Attiah is from the village of Gambibgo.

Ayinbilla Anaba

Weaver. Teacher. 13 Years at Baba Tree. 

“I have seen beautiful and different baskets designs that other company do not have. Beautiful baskets design, good motivation, good prices, various and various support.”

 Ayinbilla is another fabulous practitioner of the ‘single weave’ style of weaving. Ayinbilla loves to laugh and smile until it is time to sit in front of a camera to have his portrait taken. Then we have to drag it out of him. He is a great leader among the weavers. Ayinbilla is from the village of Zaare and is married with one child.

Azuma “Punka Joe” Abisika

Weaver. Teacher. Queen of Cheek.
10 Years with Baba Tree. 

“For me I love Baba Tree because of the Christmas party, because I get to enjoy with my colleagues. It’s good when we have a lot of orders to deal with. It is a good feeling for me to be able to teach others and they understand and bring out their best.”

Queen of Cheek. That pretty much sums her up. A devastating sense of humour, coupled with a strong focus makes her a force in the compound. Her brother, Ben, and mother, Assibi Abisika, also work here. She is a great teacher and has mentored many weavers. Punka Joe!!! Punka Joe is married with 2 children.

Baba Abe-enge Akayiske 

Weaver. Teacher. Very Fancy Dancer. NID Alumnus. 20 Years with Baba Tree.  

“Money, when you do a good job you get paid and I’m employed as a teacher also. Without Baba Tree may be I would have been a drunkard. So Baba Tree is a company I don’t joke with and I will do all I can to make Baba Tree to grow more. Baba Tree has no size. Baba Tree is too much.”

A quiet, gentle leader… I first met Baba when I found the village of Gambibgo. He was the leader of one of the men’s weaving groups and we would meet underneath the baba tree at Abentara house. He was always the one asking people to act honourably. We travelled to India together and after all of these years, remains seated, doing the work… He can be a very fancy dancer. Baba is married with 9 children.

Benjamin Atiah Nyelum 

Weaver. Teacher. 13 Years with Baba Tree.  

“The fact that I can make money to support myself and family. I make true money as I should, I have been able to buy cows for my in-law to dowry my wife and I have a sleeping place all because of Baba Tree. Baba Tree is an opportunity company and help us to be financially stable.”

Sweet sweet, Ben. Such a beautiful, quiet, hardworking presence in the compound. His sister, Punka Joe, and mother, Assibi Abisika, also work at The Baba Tree. Ben is a late nighter. He likes to work late when all is quiet and chinwag with Watchie the watchman. After he is done, he dusts off his hands and rides off on his motorcycle. Ben is from the village of Winkongo and is married with 2 children.

Bright Amoore 

Weaver. Teacher. 10 Years with Baba Tree.  

“I like the fact that I weave baskets and the Baba Tree buys them at a good price. Teaching is difficult and challenging, but all the same it is good to be a teacher.”

But Bright is a good teacher. He has only been serving full time, sitting in The Baba Tree compound for a few years. He is a master at what he does and has served all at The Baba Tree very well. Bright is married is from the village of Zaare.

Charity Atuah 

Weaver. Teacher. 8 Years with Baba Tree.  

“When I learned how to weave the Boncate basket, it was the best moment. The good prices I receive for my baskets, the beautiful designs and the support and help Baba Tree gives us. Baba Tree is my Father.”

Wonderful, hardworking Charity…I find that when I’m writing these profiles I sometimes don’t have words…but my heart always cracks open and I feel so much love for people. Charity does her thing. She sits, focused, but always has room for a laugh and the time to lend a helping hand. She is a fabulous weaver, like so many of the people working at The Baba Tree. I adore her. Charity is married with 2 children.

Christiana “Madame Osei” Anaba 

Weaver. Teacher. 20 Years with Baba Tree.

“Baba Tree takes helps take care of our medical bills, children school fees. I learn new skills and sell baskets at a good price. Weaving at Baba Tree I get paid well so I do my best to weave designs that attract customers. Baba Tree is my everything.”

Madame Osei… another cheeky one. We trade a lot of cheek at The Baba Tree… that’s part of the reason it is such a special place to be. Madame Osei is another incredible weaver who earned her teaching stripes a few years ago to ensure that we were getting the best quality we could across the board… and we needed more teachers / mentors to do that. She has risen to the occasion and continues to produce fabulous work. Christiana is married with 4 children.

Cletus Apaweo 

Weaver. Teacher. 15 Years with Baba Tree.

“Baba Tree help’s me in many aspects food, medical support, financial support Baba Tree makes our baskets business more profitable and buys baskets at a good price.”

Gallant Cletus… An extraordinary weaver that utilises the ‘single weave’ technique. Cletus is solid as a rock and I love him to bits. He is no stranger to tipping a Guiness but he doesn’t dance. He weaves. He inspires many with the quality of his work, his work ethic, and his quiet good humour. Cletus is married with 2 children and resides in the village of Zaare.

Cynthia Ayine 

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer.
8 Years with Baba Tree.  

“Baba Tree have quality baskets and very unique colours. I want Baba Tree to keep growing and I will put up my best to that so that I can keep making money to cater for my family. I get paid as a teacher which is very good and this have motivated me to improve upon my work to bring out the best.”

Cynthia is solid and steady. She used to be part of the late night crew where weavers would work late until I would have to kick them out at 7:00PM or else they would endure for longer. Cynthia was instrumental – as were other teachers – around the time when we were really exploring the boundaries of our signature Wave technique. She helped create many of our beautiful Art Baskets. Cynthia is married with 3 children

Isaac Asanga

Weaver. Teacher. 10 Years with Baba Tree.  

“Baba Tree is the Best. It feels good to be a teacher and teaching others to earn a living through basket weaving.”

Isaac can come across as the brooding playwright sporting the professorial beard… He is neither. An easy laugh comes before and after a tip of the Guiness. A master of the ‘single weave’ technique, Isaac plies his craft while helping others achieve the same success as he. Isaac is married with 2 children and lives in the village of Zaare.

Joseph Ayinpala

Weaver. Teacher. Basket Repairs. Terrible Music. 
20 Years with Baba Tree. 

“The truth in the work everything is very transparent a loving place to be. I learn to be smart, artistic and I get paid for being a teacher at Baba Tree.”

Joe is very cheeky. I like that. He is also one of the finest weavers in Bolgatanga coming from the village of Gambibgo that is renowned for the quality of it’s baskets. Joe does all of our basket repairs and is our basket handle specialist. He sits close to my kitchen window and bellows with laughter whilst he plays woeful music through whatever device is at hand. When he gets tired of sitting he can be found roaming the compound to find the latest cheekfest. Joe is married with 4 children.

Mary Anaba 

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer.
9 Years with Baba Tree.  

“I like the dancy dancy. The commission I get from internet sale, I get paid as a teacher and the drinks and entertainment. I am able to impact knowledge other weavers and as a teacher I’m challenged to do new designs.”

A force of nature…with such incredible discipline and endurance. Her focus is amazing, she is a great teacher and she is a person that has to be shooed away from the compound at night. She is part of the Pet Lamp crew making incredible lampshades that beautify the world. She is a leader among weavers. After school, her beautiful daughter, Ethel, comes to hang out with mom until it is time to go home.

Mary Ayamdor 

Weaver. Teacher. Cyclist. NID Alumna.
10 Years with Baba Tree.  

“The best thing is that, I have been supported in so many ways and the weavers and Ayinedollah is loving. The open market use not to buy in good prices but Baba Tree buys well. The whole of Ghana, Baba Tree have the best quality baskets.”

Another alumna of the National Institute of Design (India), Mary is known for her work ethic and the fact that she rides a bicycle a loooong way everyday to and from work. She has excelled as a weaving teacher and mentors her younger, less experienced weavers, will care and attention. Mary is from the village of Yorogo and has 4 children

Mary Ayinbora 

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer.
10 Years with Baba Tree.  

“I am happy and healthy in Baba Tree. I able to pay my kids fees and we have a happy life. I strive how to make the best designs on all my baskets so buyers will be happy when buying our baskets. Being a teacher is a privilege and I get to learn and teach others.”

Mary is steady. She likes to weave BIG! She has been part of the teaching crew for a few years now and she excels at the job. She is often tasked with weaving new designs that are large in scale, which requires incredible focus and discipline. Mary has 4 children.

Modesta “Zainure Toma” Adongo

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer.
8 Years with Baba Tree.  

“Commission from Internet sales, support in medical, my education and children education is unique. We weave Quality baskets. Baba Tree is Excellent!”

Modesta, Modesta, Modesta… She is another one that is never short of a laugh. Another one with cheek. She has the most musical laugh to behold. We lost her intermittently while she was attending college for a few years and now she is back and being troublesome as usual. Modesta is a fabulous weaver and she is such a kind and patient teacher.

Nmabillah Nsohbilla Ayorogo 

Weaver. Teacher. Dye Goddess. Dancer. NID Alumna.
20 Years with Baba Tree.  

“Baba Tree provides shelter, medical, school fees, financial support and still buys our baskets at good price. Baba Tree is very good and a peaceful company. As a teacher I am able to teach other weavers to grow the business and I add my skill in bringing out best colours. I get paid as a teacher and I also get paid for bringing out the various nice colours for the beautiful baskets you see. All these motivates me to work harder to get more income.”

I first met Nmabillah when I was working with women’s weaving groups in Gambibgo. She was so ambitious and industrious. She was the person who inspired me to ditch the ‘contract’ system and go to the ‘cash and carry’ system which rewards weavers of great talent who are focused. Nmahbillah was always going above and beyond the call of duty in order to provide for her family. Her daughters, Mary and Eva, also work at The Baba Tree. Her recently deceased husband, Nsohbilla, also wove baskets for The Baba Tree. Nmahbilla is a dye Goddess and is also an NID Alumna. Fancy Dancer. She has 5 children.

Nsohbillah Alagbona

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer.
8 Years with Baba Tree.  

“Baba Tree have given me employment and now through basket weaving, I can now support my family. For me, the company is very important to me right now, so I am doing all I can to protect the image of this company and growth. I feel very good being a teacher and I still try to weave all the new designs and teach others stand tall.”

Nsohbillah and I first met when I found the weaving groups in Gambibgo 20 years ago. He was among one of the men’s groups and was a young lad then. He has impeccable weaving technique and is a quiet and focused force in the compound. Nsohbillah is married with 1 child.

Perpetual “Pepe” Adagaam 

Weaver. Teacher. NID Alumna.
10 Years with Baba Tree.  

“The good pricing of basket and getting additional income from the internet basket commission. I feel happy being a teacher and being able to teach others to become good basket weavers.”

Pepe comes across as being shy and quiet…don’t let her fool you. She has a sense of humour that will bring down the house. She is one of the original Baba Tree Bad Girls, a group of woman that would sit in a particular room and let the gossip and laughter fly that was always turbo charged. Pepe was the first weaver to implement my designs using our signature Wave technique, the technique that was developed by NID graduate student, Palash Singh, and Baba Tree weaver, John Akurigo. Pepe, with her buddy, Jemima ’10 Cows’ Akologo, were so young when they travelled to India with The Baba Tree. Pepe is married to long time Baba Tree leather worker, Nyabillah, and they have 2 children.

Selina Apainoora 

Weaver. Teacher. Dancer.
18 Years with Baba Tree.  

“When I am weaving wall hanging, it gives me joy as I see the final beautiful product. Baba Tree have retail sales and we get commission from that, also our baskets are bought at good price. I feel very happy when I receive my pay as a teacher and I am very happy teaching others.”

Selina is part of our Pet Lamp crew, the crew that weave our marvelous lamps designed by Pet Lamp. A very focused weaver she is…and a great teacher with an easy smile. Selina is married with 4 children.

Vida Akolgo

Weaver. Teacher. Fancy Dancer.
15 Years with Baba Tree.  

“I like having to hide and surprise our visitors and after which we greet them with a dancy dancy. As a weaver to be able to weave quality baskets And getting the opportunity to weave new designs and also being able to teach my students well.”

Vida is an extraordinary weaver. I ask many other weavers to emulate a certain technique that she engages when weaving baskets using our signature Wave technique. She is an artist. She is also a fabulous teacher and is never far away from the dance floor. Onward, she goes… Vida is married with 4 children.

Yakubu Nsohbillah Sule

Weaver. Teacher. 14 Years with Baba Tree.  

“I love The Baba Tree because of the different designs in all the baskets we weave and different skills and the help in medical bills, support school fees. I want to help grow the Baba Tree Company with my artisan skills.”

Nsohbillah has been doing it for The Baba Tree for many years. The quality of his work is exquisite. He is married to Baba Tree Crew member, Gifty “Night Farmer” Nsobilla, and they have 2 children

In Memoriam
Jemima Assibi "10 Cows" Akologo

Artisan. Teacher. Mentor. Forever with Baba Tree. 

Rest in Peace - Born 23 / 12 / 1990 Passed 9 / 11 / 2021 
We lost our beloved Jemima "10 Cows" Akologo. She had been unwell for a few years, and despite having a wide range of tests run to find a diagnosis, we never got one. She died peacefully in the family home. She was 30 years of age. Jemima was a very accomplished weaver and she was part of the teaching unit at The Baba Tree where she would mentor less experienced weavers. It is essential to mention that she was one of the original Baba Tree Bad Girls - a reverently irreverent group of women weavers who would sit in a particular room in The Baba Tree compound and peel off volleys of hurricane force laughter that would shake the compound almost continually throughout any given day. In 2013, along with 19 other Baba Tree weavers who were invited by the Indian government, Jemima travelled to the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in order to learn new weaving techniques at the prestigious NID. It was an extraordinary journey for all of us. A trip of a lifetime! It was at the NID that Jemima earned the nickname "10 Cows" after her employer / older brother, Ayinedollah, asked her - in front of the rest of The Baba Tree Crew - how many cows it would take to seal the deal if he proposed to her (the norm is a manageable 2). She quickly replied "Ten Cows" and sagely rejected his hollow proposal. Her answer brought the house down in a gale of laughter. While at the NID, Jemima was the first to weave the "Jemima 10 Cows Basket" - a basket that has been widely copied to lesser effect by other producers in the Bolga basket industry. We miss her serene presence. Jemima, wherever you are, I hold you. We all hold you... Jemima was a single mother who is survived by her 11-year-old son, Jeremiah. Additionally, she is survived by her father, Akologo, her mother, Asenia, and her five sisters, Asinkonge, Alamaah, Abobo, Anuremah, and Apotaaba. The Baba Tree is providing all support for Jeremiah, Jemima's son.