With this purchase, you are directly supporting the well-being of the Nhamabue people, as 10% of proceeds go to African Parks Network, a non-profit dedicated to managing and restoring national parks across Africa. They are the most successful protectors of wildlife in the Bazaruto Archipelago, where this ‘whispering waves’ print collection was created. They do this by prioritizing the wellbeing of the local people that live alongside this fragile natural ecosystem.
Nhamabue is based within a buffer zone of the Bazaruto Archipelago at the interface between the river, estuaries and sea, on the inside of a lagoon. It is flanked by the ocean on one end and the warm lagoon water on the other. The area is home to incredibly dense and diverse mangrove forests that veer into the river estuaries. These unique coastal environments are key migratory routes for species as endangered dugongs (manatees).The lagoon provides important protective nesting grounds for them.
In 2017, African Parks took over the management of Bazaruto Archipelago National Park (BANP) through a 25-year agreement with the Mozambican government. Their goal is to protect the park’s rich marine and terrestrial biodiversity while supporting local communities. They are currently the most successful protector of wildlife in this coastal region of Africa by prioritizing the wellbeing of the local people that live alongside this fragile natural ecosystem.
An additional 5% supports Sussurro, a locally crafted hotel residence built by African designers, artisans, and builders, with whom I created this collection, so they can keep investing in a harmonious and precious symbiosis between people and land.
SUSSURRO’S COMMITMENT TO THE PEOPLE AND THEIR LAND
The entire construction of Sussurro hotel in Southern Mozambique was actualized by the Nhamabue community, utilizing their inherent indigenous knowledge in vernacular building techniques. From the shutters, doors and woven roof canopies to the structure's support beams and roofing which is made out of endemic young hardwoods and local grass thatch.
The majority of the hotel’s staff are born of the local community which means that they have a robust team and embedded local knowledge within Sussurro itself. Naturally this extends to many other amenities such as their pescatarian heavy menu being entirely supplied by the Nhamambuean fishing community; from their bluefin Tuna to their mangrove crabs and lagoon caught calamari to local subsistence farmers vegetables and fruits to constantly replenish the Sussurro kitchen. Sourcing continues to be hyper-local right through the hospitality experience at Sussurro, which further sustains their continued connection with the community, and sense of place within it.
Sussurro is powered entirely by renewable energy and around 90% of its construction ran on solar power too. In this way the residence runs in symbiosis with nature and the adaptability to nature epitomized by the Nhamabue community. Seemingly at odds with the status quo in heavy-use hotel amenities, Sussurro opts for natural materials in hotel furnishings and fixtures that would be termed “heavy traffic” areas, aware that this method tends to wear sooner than imported machine made materials or nano-plastic fibres, Sussurro instead looks to re-employ local teams to regularly replace thatching and hand-woven material. The value they see in this, is not only that there’s a continued material transfer of culture through this work, but that the hotel then continually maintains connection with people, vegetation and land.