“Since 2015 I have been collaborating with a contact, Bagalwa Baliahamwabo, in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). To be straightforward, I am outsourcing beadwork to his family…Each swatch is 128 by 128 beads and is woven on a bead loom for a wage of one US cent per bead ($163.84/swatch). I estimate this works out to $1.50-$3.00/hour. For comparison, a plantation worker in the DRC makes about $2.00 a day.”
Author and artist Paul Robert exclaims how his collaboration with beader Bagalwa Baliahamwabo aims to bring up the complexities involved with so-called “feel goods” and the nuanced nature behind consumer activism.