Bridget Peake
Merchandise Director
bridget@indigenouspeople.org.uk
Ghana / Whatsapp : +233 54 3872318
UK – +44 7442 107470
Having recently graduated from the University of Ghana, where she gained a degree in Sociology and Business Administration, Bridget Peake is now the Manager of the Merchandise arm of Indigenous People.
Bridget was brought up in a deprived rural community in the Volta Region of Ghana, where she witnessed the barriers that women face in achieving economic independence, particularly in patriarchal societies. She remembers her mother struggling to provide for her, as her father and stepfather would often withhold financial support as a form of punishment. Her story is not an anomaly in Ghana – it is the reality for many women.
During her studies at the University of Ghana she focused on areas such as Culture and Development, Social Psychology, Gender and Development. She has also taken time out from studying to travel with the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana, who are managed by Indigenous People. While traveling with the drummers, she realized the high demand for indigenous Ghanaian culture and products in the West and was struck by the paradox that what is often undervalued at home is celebrated and sold at a premium internationally. Becoming familiar with the language and ideology of equalities, she has also recognized the limiting role of Ghanaian cultural conservatism, particularly regarding gender and other expressions of identity.
As Merchandise Director, Bridget sources handicrafts produced by underprivileged women in Ghana who often struggle to grow their businesses and receive fair compensation. She will support and advise our suppliers, enabling them to grow their businesses by giving them access to lucrative export markets using the performance groups Indigenous People manage as powerful promotional vehicles.
On the coming 2026 tour, she will manage the retail side of the merchandise operation – selling jewelry, clothes and musical instruments on the stall accompanying performances and schools visits- as well as a growing whole sale operation. In the medium term, we aim to expand to supplying the merchandise catalogues of larger development NGOs such as Oxfam, Christian Aid and other international development NGOs.