Glass Bridges: From Murano to Shanga is a design and craft project connecting Murano’s master glassblowers from Venice (Italy) with the Shanga workshop in Arusha, Tanzania, a social enterprise that employs people with disabilities to create objects from recycled glass.
Promoted by The Embassy of Italy, taking place from November 15 to 24, 2025, the project was conceived by Kukua Ltd, the Tanzanian social enterprise founded by French designer EmmanuelBabled, who has worked with Murano’s artisans for more than three decades.
Two Venetian masters, Andrea Zilio and Luigi Varagnolo, will lead a ten-day workshop merging Murano’s centuriesold techniques with Shanga’s inventive use of local and reclaimed materials.
In the wake of recent events in Tanzania and Arusha city, the project carries a strong social and cultural impact.
as connecting Venice and Arusha, this is a gesture of collaboration and renewal between communities, and a symbol of solidarity and social cohesion through art and craftsmanship, a concrete support to the people of this very important Tanzanian city and to the creativity of its young people.
Glass Bridges reflects Kukua’s philosophy of craft as a natural resource, true circularity rooted in place, and dialogue as a driver of progress.
It reframes design as a form of human exchange, turning glass into a medium for connection, education and hope. In a country where there is huge potential for the industry, design rooted in craft becomes a tool of empowerment, connecting local resources, skills and communities toward a more sustainable and inclusive future.
More than 700 kilograms of tools, molds, and glass materials have been shipped from Murano to Arusha, including two electric kilns, thanks to the support by NEOS Airline (main sponsor) and Air
Tanzania. These donations made possible through the support of Effetre Murano, the Pentagram Stiftung, and the Elewana Group and the Embassy of Italy in Dar es Salaam, will leave a lasting technical infrastructure in Tanzania, enabling local artisans to continue glass production long after the workshop concludes.
By engaging local artisans, global experts and social partners, Glass Bridges highlights the power of cooperation to create value at every level, artistic, social and economic.
The collaboration will diversify and strengthen Shanga’s artistic offer, supporting the role of Arusha not only as a hub for sustainable tourism but also as a center of creative innovation within the East African Community.
The resulting works will be presented in Dar es Salaam and Arusha in February 2026, and later at Venice Design Week 2026 in September, under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Dar esSalaam, with photography and film by Monica Spezia.
