Akwaaba!

Akwaaba! means Welcome! in Ghana, West Africa.  And we want to welcome you to Big Village, where we introduce you to Ghanaian culture through some of its beautiful people and products.

Big Village started when the orginal owner returned to Canada after living in Ghana with her family doing mission work. She brought back cultural beads and other handicrafts to give away as gifts. She found that there was an overwhelming, positive response and an interest in both the products and the culture they came from. Loreli happily set up fair-trade partnerships with her friends in Ghana.  She saw this as an opportunity to connect the two cultures - promoting Ghana in a way that emphasizes the resourcefulness, ingenuity and beauty of the people.

Big Village primarily features the recycled glass beads of the Krobo tribe (read more about the beads here).  We make jewellery from the beads and encourage others to make jewellery through our home workshops.  We have also started bringing in other products, such as our Bolgatanga baskets, and Global Mamas batik fabric.

Big Village has grown since it was started in 2008, both here and in Ghana. We invite you to get to know our people, who make up Big Village.  We would also encourage you to check out our links to see others who are an integral part of Big Village, plus some really cool websites that feel the same way we do about fair-trade, Africa or life in general.

We know we couldn't do it without you.  The reason for Big Village's success is because of your support and we are extremely grateful.  Feel free to contact us with your ideas, suggestions or feedback. We always love to hear from you. And if you want to hear from us, check out our updates or sign up for our newsletter and be part of the Big Village! 

Big Village Events