Agaseke peace basket, handwoven in Rwanda

In Rwanda, a basket is never just a basket. The Agaseke (a lidded coil basket woven from sweetgrass and sisal) appears on the Rwandan national seal, is given at weddings and births, and is known across the country as the basket of peace. It is one of the most culturally significant handwoven objects in Africa.

The word Agaseke comes from the Kinyarwanda language and refers specifically to this lidded form. Historically, the Agaseke was woven for Rwandan royalty to carry their most valued possessions. Over centuries, it became a gift of trust: to give someone an Agaseke is to offer them something of yourself.

How an Agaseke basket is made

Every Agaseke starts with wild sweetgrass (Cyperus latifolius), harvested seasonally from Rwanda's wetlands and hillsides. The sweetgrass forms the coiled core, the spiral structure that carries the basket upward. Sisal, extracted from pounded Agave leaves, is wrapped over the sweetgrass coils to create the visible surface and its bold geometric patterns.

Colors come from natural and commercial dyes: terracotta, indigo, burgundy, black, and natural cream. Each weaver develops her own geometric repertoire within the tradition. No two Agaseke are ever identical.

At the scale RFB Woven Art carries (54 to 65 inches tall), the construction requires an additional innovation: an inner bamboo framework that gives the basket its height and structural independence. Without it, the form would collapse under its own weight. This double-layer technique was developed and refined by Gahaya Links weavers over years of experimentation.

Why it is called the peace basket

After the 1994 genocide, the Agaseke took on new meaning. Basket-weaving cooperatives became one of the earliest and most visible paths to reconciliation, with Hutu and Tutsi women working together in the same workshops for the first time since the war. The Agaseke that had always symbolized generosity and womanhood became a symbol of national healing.

Gahaya Links, the organization behind the tall Agaseke that RFB Woven Art sources, was founded in this context by sisters Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana. Today it works with more than 5,000 women across 52 cooperatives throughout Rwanda. For these weavers, the Agaseke is not a craft hobby. It is the primary income for their families.

Weavers at a Gahaya Links cooperative in Rwanda.

What makes the tall Agaseke distinct

Traditional Agaseke come in many sizes, from small gift baskets to medium household vessels. What makes the tall Agaseke distinctive is its architectural scale. At 54 to 65 inches, the form is no longer a container in any functional sense. It is a floor sculpture that holds its own against any artwork in the room.

RFB Woven Art is one of very few US sources for Agaseke at this scale. Most retailers carrying Rwandan baskets stock small and medium sizes. The tall form requires specialist sourcing directly from Gahaya Links cooperatives, which is exactly how RFB Woven Art operates.

Where to buy an authentic Agaseke

Authentic Agaseke baskets are handwoven. Each piece shows the subtle variations that come from human hands rather than machines. Look for natural sweetgrass coils, hand-dyed sisal in bold geometric patterns, and the slight irregularities that confirm genuine craft. At the tall scale (54 to 65 inches), the double-layer bamboo construction is a hallmark of Gahaya Links work.

RFB Woven Art sources tall Agaseke directly from Gahaya Links cooperatives in Rwanda. Curator Jennifer Kuyper personally selects every piece and purchases at fair prices that support the weavers and their families.