Asante Sanaa // Thanks to art.
It all began with an idea and a fate. Selemani, a street artist from Bagamoyo, had to give up his craft at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and sell tomatoes at the market instead. One of our current team members, who had got to know the artist during her voluntary service in Tanzania, learnt about him. It quickly became clear that it was not a lack of talent, but that tourism had collapsed massively since the travel restrictions were imposed, and with it the main source of income for artists. It was clear to us that we wanted to continue to give artists a chance to pursue their passion.
Instead of bringing the customer to the artwork, we bring the artwork to the customer! Just a few months after the start of the pandemic, the initial team of twelve was formed - ready to turn the idea into reality. As a group of young students, we wanted to make Tanzanian street art accessible to everyone. To bring art into everyone's everyday lives, we had to get creative. We decided to replace oil and canvas with print and clothing.
Within a very short time, Asante Sanaa was born. A company that reproduces artworks from Tanzania by artists such as Selemani on sustainably produced T-shirts, hoodies, jute bags and much more, making them accessible to the masses. Our mission is to popularise street art from Tanzania, create awareness for unique talents and give the artists the opportunity to pursue their passion of painting through financial support.
Over the next few weeks, we would like to take you back to our beginnings and tell you everything that has happened on this journey from the initial idea to today. So keep checking back here on our blog or on our Instagram account to make sure you don't miss anything.
