Socio-cultural and commercial value of craft products

A study on the socio-cultural and commercial values of artisanal products based on fiber plants from the Kikwit region, Kwilu province was carried out as part of our research conducted from March to September 2019. The main objective was to study the socio-cultural and commercial values of artisanal products based on fiber plants from the Kikwit region with a view to considering the conservation and sustainable use of plant resources. The methodological approach was based on the observation of inventories of objects made from fibre plant products, supported by survey techniques to obtain additional information on their uses and socio-cultural values. The main results show that several valuable objects are made from products extracted from Raphia, Eremosphata and Urena lobata. This is particularly true of items such as hats, bags, sandals, clothing, baskets, shelves, chairs and carpets.