Young entrepreneur creates space to market indigenous culture
Visitors observe the indigenous exhibit inside the Babe Cave
Visitors observe the indigenous exhibit inside the Babe Cave

COLLABORATIVE endeavours to preserve indigenous culture in the Rupununi, Region Nine, and simultaneously develop a sense of entrepreneurship in women and children, were, on Saturday, brought to life by ARMCORE VPI, the South Rupununi Conservation Society, and collaborative women’s workspace, the Babe Cave.
The Babe Cave, one of the only initiatives of its kind locally, features an online marketplace, Naked Closet, which is the first female-led one in Guyana.

Speaking with the Sunday Chronicle at the launch, owner and founder of the Babe Cave, 24-year-old Amber Low, who made headlines in 2017 as Guyana’s youngest female commercial pilot, detailed that the idea for the project came about during her travels in the South Rupununi, among other areas where Amerindian settlements were located.
In her interactions with residents and frequent travels to the region, she began to notice that the culture of Guyana’s indigenous people was beginning to erode.

“I did a lot of work in indigenous communities across Guyana, and I was lucky enough to be able to experience the culture, but I also realised that… there’s a lot that needs to be preserved. Small things, like basket weaving, making hammocks—even languages in our indigenous people are currently disappearing, because no one feels the need to preserve them anymore,” she shared.
Low said she felt the desire to create a difference in the region, and display to women and children, that their work and craft have meaning.

“…their education system is also a little broken, and I wanted to really create a difference, and really show the kids and women that, you know, what you’re doing right now actually has value, and it means something. So this was our way of partnering with the SRCS to really, really kind of bring that value to women and children,” Low expressed.
The Babe Cave’s South Rupununi Project aims to assist women and children in the Rupununi in making an income, by marketing the crafts and products they construct, and ensuring that they receive the funds obtained from their sale.

“…everything you see here was made by women and children in the South Rupununi, and 100% of the proceeds are going directly to helping with education, buying more materials to create more crafts…” Low explained, adding: “The entire aim of this project is to promote entrepreneurship in the women and children of South Rupununi, while conserving culture, and really promoting and adding value to the work that they’re doing.”

Craft items procured from the South Rupununi are currently available in the Babe Cave for walk-in purchases, while others can be ordered upon request.
“We have larger items like hammocks, which are actually double-woven and handmade, and if someone would be interested in that, they [can] order them with us, and we will send out the order and let you know when it’s here, at the Babe Cave. But all of the items will be available for sale at the Babe Cave, as they are right now,” Low concluded.

The Babe Cave is a collaborative workspace for women in small businesses. It provides an opportunity for women to have a safe place to display and sell their items in a physical location, while recovering their profits.
It also serves as a safe environment for meeting clients and customer pick-ups, and features a studio lighting space for freelance makeup artists to work in. Currently, the Babe Cave, and its online counterpart, Naked Closet, are host to over 30 female-led businesses in Guyana.

“Right now we host over 30 female-led businesses. Essentially, what the aim of our space is, is to create as much of a change, as much of a difference as we can, while elevating women in business.”
Either platform can be reached via Instagram @babecavegy, or @nakedclosetofficial, and the Naked Closet can also be reached via its website, ncofficial.com.

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