Melody MacDuffee and the Story of Soul of Somanya

Beadesigner International (BDI/The New England Bead Society) is pleased to present a lecture and workshop series with Melody MacDuffee, co-founder and director of Soul of Somanya in Ghana. Join us as Melody MacDuffee tells of her journey with Soul of Somanya, which all began when a group of Krobo artisans came across an article in Bead & Button magazine in which she was featured. They emailed her to ask if she could come to Ghana and teach them her skills. Six months later, lugging six suitcases filled with jewelry-making tools and supplies, Melody was on her way to Ghana. Today, in an environment where job prospects are quite limited, Soul of Somanya artisans earn a steady, living wage in a healthy, pleasant working environment doing something they enjoy- creating jewelry and other beaded products.

There will be two opportunities to meet Melody, hear the story of how this all came to be, and have an opportunity to see and shop hand-crafted products from Ghana. First, on February 21, during a Zoom presentation at BDI’s monthly meeting, and then on February 24 for an in-person workshop and open beading session, our monthly Bead-In, at the Lexington Community Center. Please visit our website (https://www.beadesignerintl.org/) for more details and to register for these events. The lecture and Bead-In are free to members and first-time guests. All proceeds from sales go directly to the workers at Soul of Somanya.

Melody MacDuffee is the author of four books and five wire-work booklets. She has taught her distinctive jewelry-making techniques all over the U.S. and as far away as Morocco and West Africa. She is also the co-founder and director of Soul of Somanya (https://www.soulofsomanya.net/), a fair-trade non-profit that offers paid training and steady, living wage employment to disadvantaged Ghanaian artisans.