Cape Town - The Iqhayiya arts and crafts market is not that easy to find.
After a few wrong turns and several stops for directions we finally arrive at a bungalow behind a church in Harare where a number of Khayelitsha artists and crafters are hard at work.
At this market you won’t find craft beer on tap nor an array of organic, gluten-free snacks or dishes made from grass-fed cows and free-range chickens. What you will find is an authentic township craft experience where visitors can interact with the artists and watch them work.
“Iqhayiya”, which means pride in Xhosa, was behind the creation of a co-operative in 2005 by a group of eight crafters.
The pride comes not only from being able to earn a living from their work but to support their families, put children though school, and transfer their creative skills to others.
The venue is fairly humble with a few holes in the roof and somewhat unstable flooring but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming and many of the items on sale – traditional African jewellery, 3D shack pictures, hand-painted fabrics and ceramics – are now adorning the homes of tourists from around the world.
Artist Sithembele Mgadi says Germans particularly loved his 3D shack pictures, made from recycled materials, which capture the vibrancy of township life.
There is the traditional spider web of overhead electric lines, hair salons and a fish and chip shop or in others, a shebeen, church or pre-school. Mgadi constructs the pictures from hard board, tin, wood and old cold drink bottles using sand and different types of glue before painting them in bright colours.
Growing up in the Eastern Cape, he always loved sketching but honed his artistic skills during a year-long community arts course in Woodstock in 2000. He also paints ceramic plates and designs fabric and T-shirts (which the Americans love) and sells his work at the Kirstenbosch craft market and the Country Craft Market in Somerset West.
“The dream of the co-operative is to teach other people to make crafts, not only in Khayelitsha but all over the Western Cape,” he says.
Thembisa Konwayo moved to Cape Town from Butterworth in the Eastern Cape, hoping to find a job. When that didn’t materialise she started helping an artist at the market framing pictures. When she was shown how to make pin broaches, it sparked an interest in jewellery design and she now has her own business.
One of her signature pieces is a necklace with what looks like chunky beads in different colours but are actually paper rolled into shape, painted with craft paints and then dipped in water glue to give them a shiny appearance. She also sells them at the Kirstenbosch craft market and says they are popular with locals and foreigners.
Lungelwa Zanazo taught herself how to bead and now makes bracelets, pin broaches, Christmas decorations and beautiful traditional necklaces called ithumbu, which are like beaded chokers and can take up to four or five days to make. Zanazo supports her five children with money she earns. “It puts food on the table,” she says.
Sicelo Nongauza, also from the Eastern Cape, worked as a cleaner in Cape Town for a decade before starting his own business making flowers out of colourful tin cans, which otherwise would land up in the bin.
He used to sell them on Long Street in the city centre but nowadays trades at the markets in Khayelitsha and Somerset West.
Nongauza also makes fridge magnets out of the tins. Recycling is a constant theme of the market with many of the artists making use of recycled materials and found objects.
Lambathi Zanazo carves necklaces from Springbok and cow horns and also uses ostrich and coconut shells to design pendants. He gets most of the horns from a butchery although, during hunting season, has “a contact” who brings him buck horns.
Zanazo uses a hacksaw to cut the horns into small pieces, which he then files and sands down so they are smooth.
His beaded miniature guitars and wire olive spoons with beadwork handles are ideal gifts and small enough for tourists to pack in their suitcases. However, it’s his wire bangles which are his biggest seller.
He said he learnt his craft from watching his grandfather and intends passing his skills down to his sons.
When the Cape Argus team arrived at the market, Nombuyiselo Quphuna, who works with NGO Hand in Hand Southern Africa, was conducting training on how to help the crafters run successful businesses.
“It’s about helping poor people run and grow their businesses and help generate an income,” she said.
* The Iqhayiya arts and crafts market is at 34734 Moyoli Street, Harare. E-mail [email protected], or call Sithembele Mgadi at 078 023 8096.
Helen Bamford, Cape Argus