Ange Muhorakeye

South Portland — Ange Muhorakeye, the artist and business owner behind Agaseke, has memories from a very early age of sitting near her nyogokuru (grandmother), with a circle of women and as a form of play, beginning to learn to weave. Born in a refugee camp in Burundi and later moving back to her family’s country of origin, Rwanda, she continued to learn the art of basket weaving from both her grandmother and her mother. 

All the plant materials that are used in the baskets that Muhorakeye weaves come from Rwanda and help support the local women-owned economy. The practice of basket weaving was passed down from mother to daughter, from generation to generation, and symbolizing a rite of passage into womanhood. Many of the basket patterns of today are the same patterns that have been taught and passed on for generations.