Aren't at least some of the ethnic things they sell actually made by the, er, ethnic people? There are pros and cons to that, of course - there's the possibility that it's sort of an artificial industry that could collapse when people here decide they don't want raffia christmas ornaments any more, rather than really useful skills which could make money locally.

Yeah. That's sort of what it is that feels wrong about it. They suggest that they're all about teach-a-man-to-fish rather than give-him-a-fish (I know that's Christian Aid, but never mind); but it seems that selling palatably ethnic tat to rich people who will buy it out of sympathy for the poor suffering brown people ("isn't it amazing, they make such beautiful things even when they're starving") is an awkward halfway house akin to setting up a fish and chip shop and teaching them only to catch cod in breadcrumbs.

I think my analogy fell off the back of a carved mulberry-wood elephant somewhere. Or maybe a hand-knitted chocolate bar.

Maybe I'm just an insufferable snob when it comes to twee carvings of African figures, and authentic yak-hair throws. Or maybe I'm just a cheapskate stew-dent who wants charity shops to be full of exciting goth clothes at ludicrously low prices, rather than sub-Ikea interior design ideas. I dunno. Maybe I just think brown is the wrong colour for interior decor. :-)