The Internet and the globalization it has helped to bring about are often regarded as the enemies of traditional ways of life in less developed countries. But the Internet is also helping preserve traditional crafts and cultures in the developing world. It is doing this by providing a means for craftspeople to reach a global market for their products and receive a fair share of the profits from the sales of those products without leaving their native villages.

A growing number of commercial firms and non-profit organizations are establishing direct links between consumers in the United States and other industrialized countries and craftspeople in such countries as India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, and Nepal. These organizations sell their products on web sites that not only show the products, but let buyers see where they are made, how they are made, and (on some sites) even hear the voices of the people who are making them. Consumers get unique, hand-made products at reasonable prices, while craftspeople not only get access to a global market, but also benefit from the infrastructure of modern retailing--credit card acceptance, shipping, packaging, advertising etc.

Thomas Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times and author of The Lexus and the Olive Tree, wrote about this phenomenon in his column a couple of weeks ago. He quoted an Eskimo woman he met in Alaska who asked if the so-called "digital divide" might not be such a bad thing after all, since it could serve to protect fragile traditional cultures from being overwhelmed by globalization. Perhaps. But Friedman believes in the power of the market and the inevitability of globalization, although he also sees the contradictions they are bringing about. He quotes Michelle Long, the founder of Viatru, one of the leading firms in marketing native crafts: ". . . through the Internet we can preserve culture by rewarding sustainable cultural practices and by creating a global market for them -- a digital dividend." For many villagers in developing countries, this digital dividend is all that stands between their traditional life-styles and migration to the slums and shantytowns of the nearest large city.

Links:
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PEOPLink is one of most innovative organizations marketing traditional crafts on the Internet. "A nonprofit marketplace benefiting grassroots artisans and their communities," it is a wonderful source of original, handmade gifts. It also benefits from a highly professional web presence.

"PEOPlink Brings Far-Flung Artisans to Market," Janelle Brown, Wired News, March 24, 1997.

WorldCrafts.org is "an online information hub for people and organizations concerned with cultural heritage preservation and for those who appreciate, create, research or sell fine crafts representing ancient traditions from around the world." Links to many interesting sites.

Development Marketplace is an organization supported by the World Bank that promotes innovation in development, particularly at the grassroots level. It awards grants up to US$250,000 for pilot activities and is sponsoring an event in Washington, DC, in November 2001.

Interconnection.org -- a non-profit group that donates websites and computers and provides internet training to organizations dedicated to benefiting the local community or environment in developing countries.

NOVICA -- an exceptionally large and diverse handcraft site developed in association with the National Geographic Society. "NOVICA style reflects the values and timeless design esthetic of world culture."

eZiba -- "discover an ever-evolving array of handcrafted goods from around the world." The upscale end of this business. Beautiful items, many of them rather pricey.

Work of Human Hands -- a crafts organization sponsored by Catholic Relief Services and SERVV International. No products are shown on the site, but there is an e-mail link to request a catalogue.

Global Exchange -- crafts and gifts in a store sponsored by a human rights organization on Yahoo.

Callari -- products from sustainable uses of the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador, "processed using indigenous craft techniques and marketed through a grassroots mechanism."