在大多数游客的印象中,坦桑尼亚是粗犷狂野的——它是塞伦盖蒂(Serengeti)大草原上的万马奔腾,也是乞力马扎罗(Kilimanjaro)雪顶的冷峻庄严。然而,在热闹的阿鲁沙(Arusha)市郊,隐藏着一个与其截然不同的温柔角落。这里没有猛兽的咆哮,只有玻璃熔炉的微鸣和温暖的手语交流。
这里就是 尚加工坊(Shanga),斯瓦希里语意为“珠子”。它不仅是一个艺术工坊,更是一场关于爱、再生与尊严的社会实验。
当你走进郁郁葱葱的 阿鲁沙咖啡庄园(Arusha Coffee Lodge),穿过咖啡树的香气,你会发现 Shanga 的所在。与其说这是一个景点,不如说它是一个充满生命力的社区。
Shanga 的故事始于 2007 年。创始人 Saskia Rechsteiner 最初只是为了给当地的一位聋哑妇女提供就业机会,教她用布料制作项链。谁曾想到,这颗小小的善意种子如今已长成参天大树。
现在的 Shanga 秉持着 “Be Kind & Recycle”(仁慈与回收) 的核心理念。它是坦桑尼亚最成功的社会企业之一,其最大的特色在于“变废为宝”。阿鲁沙各大酒店和营地废弃的玻璃酒瓶,在这里获得了第二次生命。通过清洗、熔化、吹制,这些曾经的垃圾变成了晶莹剔透的艺术品。
Shanga 最打动人心的地方在于它的员工。这里雇佣了超过 70 名当地工匠,其中绝大多数是听障、视障或肢体残疾人士。在许多发展中国家,残障往往意味着边缘化,但在 Shanga,“能力重于残疾”(Ability over Disability) 是唯一的准则。
工坊的墙上写着一句著名的座右铭:“Kindness is a language blind people see and deaf people hear.”(善良是一种盲人能看见、聋人能听见的语言。) 在这里,你不需要复杂的语言,一个微笑和竖起的大拇指,就是最好的交流。
与普通的纪念品商店不同,Shanga 实行“开放式工坊”政策。游客不仅是消费者,更是见证者和参与者。
走进工坊,首先映入眼帘的是炽热的玻璃熔炉。工匠们熟练地将融化的玻璃挑出,吹制成色彩斑斓的酒杯、花瓶和吊灯。看着那些原本是废弃喜力啤酒瓶或红酒瓶的玻璃渣,在火焰中重生为流光溢彩的艺术品,这种视觉冲击力令人叹为观止。
除了玻璃工艺,你还可以看到:
• 织布区:盲人工匠通过触觉操作复杂的织布机,织出质感独特的披肩和毯子。
• 廷加廷加绘画(Tinga Tinga):色彩鲜艳、充满童趣的坦桑尼亚传统绘画。
• 金属加工:利用废旧铝材制作精美的餐具和装饰品。
Shanga 非常鼓励游客参与其中。如果时间充裕,你可以报名参加简单的体验课程:
• 制作项链:挑选你喜欢的再生玻璃珠,亲手以此串成一条独一无二的 Shanga 项链。
• 吹制玻璃体验:在专业工匠的指导下,尝试吹制一个小玻璃球,感受火焰的温度。
• 手语小课堂:既然是在一个许多员工使用手语的环境,不妨向他们学习几个简单的斯瓦希里手语(如“你好”、“谢谢”),这将是你旅途中最特别的互动。
如果你正在寻找不仅好看,而且有故事的伴手礼,Shanga 是阿鲁沙的最佳选择。每一件商品都附有工匠的标签,购买这些产品直接支持了残障人士的生计。
• 推荐购买:不规则形状的彩色玻璃水杯(极具艺术感)、手工编织的桌布、以及用马赛珠子串成的精美首饰。
Shanga 位于 Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge 的庭院深处,距离阿鲁沙机场(ARK)仅有约 5-10 分钟车程,距离阿鲁沙市中心约 15-20 分钟车程。无论你是刚抵达坦桑尼亚,还是准备前往塞伦盖蒂,这里都是绝佳的中转站。
• 开放时间:通常为每天 9:00 至 16:30(包括周末)。
• 门票:参观工坊通常是免费的,但强烈建议购买一些纪念品或进行小额捐赠以支持项目运营。
• 建议时长:预留 1.5 到 2 小时。如果你喜欢摄影或想体验DIY活动,可能需要更长时间。
由于 Shanga 就在阿鲁沙咖啡庄园内,最完美的行程安排是:
1. 上午参观 Shanga 工坊,观看玻璃吹制过程。
2. 中午在庄园内的 Jikoni 餐厅 或花园享用一顿丰盛的午餐(这里的披萨和自助餐非常有名)。
3. 饭后在咖啡种植园内散步,享受阿鲁沙午后的惬意时光。
Jeff Auvenshine Really enjoyed the visit here. Learned about the important work they do for people in the community and was able to find some cool things to purchase in the gift shop!
Ari Weissman A little bit out of town but worth a visit. Not only a good cause, but you can actually try your hand at creating some of the crafts or watch the master crafts men and women work.
Sadashiv N Visiting Shanga was a highlight of our holidays. It was really inspiring to see so many people with disabilities being empowered to produce quality art and crafts. The tour is free for everyone, and you see handloom work, glassworks, beadwork, and making paper bags and other accessories. We witnessed how handlooms were set up and operated. I was amazed at the effort it takes to set up the design on the loom. Operating it was quite interesting and needed some deft footwork according to the design expected.We also saw many artists producing intricate bead work, doing tinga tinga paintings and glass decor. However, the best part of the tour was the glassworks section. They have a glass furnace operating on recycled machine oil. We witnessed how the furnace was cleaned and saw the making of a champagne glass, from scratch. It was really impressive. I would encourage anyone visiting Arusha to definitely visit and support these amazing artists doing incredible work. More power to Shanga!
Chima Mmeje I come from a country where people expect the disabled to beg Visiting Shanga was uplifting. I am so happy to see them empowered and working I bought some gifts for friends from the gift shop and knowing the backstory of how they are made makes it more special
Mirriam Njenga Very educative place to be. After going through the workshop you get to appreciate the little you have considering the staff are differently abled. Our guide was the best