Ethiopian News July 18 2021 Mereja Today Abiy Ahmed

"It's important for us to have a younger age than the Ethiopian craftsmen who sell because we attract a lot of new buyers," said Wanda Caroline, a keeper from Nairobi who hosts the annual East Africa auction. "People who have collected Nigerian, South African or Ghanaian handicrafts may not know much about East Africa, so this could be a starting point to find out about other markets," he said in an interview.

Mile finds this empowerment. "When you look at the nature of processing, it could be a new focus at the time. There's a lot more skill and we're just starting to discover what's underneath," he said.