The gods Answer Basarwa�s Cry For Ostrich Egg-Shells
Monkagedi Gaothobogwe | Monday May 18, 2015 18:00
Other paraphernalia included sewing needles, threads and beads, crushed eggshells crushers and cutters and weaving material.
It was a gathering of 20 of the best Basarwa and Hambukushu craftswomen taken from three of the 16 settlements of Basarwa, as the Ghantsi Craft centre and Orange Botswana put joy on the faces of the famous craftswomen who have been of late struggling to find ostrich egg shells to continue their age old ornamental tradition. The Basarwa women from Ghantsi, Qabo, and D’kar, narrated how these days they are forbidden by the Wildlife Department from fetching ostrich egg shells in the bush as such an activity has now been criminalised.
Now for them to have any chance of designing and producing their crafts with the much needed ostrich eggshells, they must order the material from ostrich abattoirs in Gaborone or Talana farms. It is not easy though, it cost money as one now has to find enough funds for transportation, delivery, over and above the purchase price.
Orange Botswana answered the Basarwa prayers like the gods as 20 of the best crafts producers gathered from their various villages at the Ghantsi crafts for a workshop of sharing ideas, and competing for the best crafts for an opportunity of a lifetime as Orange Botswana suppliers.
The Basarwa craftswomen are renowned for their jewellery making skills, as well as belts, head-bands, necklaces, bracelets, ear-rings, ankle bracelets, neck-bands, bandoleers, pendants, to name a few.
Through their community reach out program Orange Botswana this year identified the Basarwa women, one of the worst disadvantaged communities in Botswana, for an entrepreneurship empowerment opportunity.
It is part of the corporation’s annual effort to empower women entrepreneurs by buying as much as 500 or more gifts from the selected winners. The goods would then be used by Orange as token of appreciation to their various stakeholders with the names of the designers/producers engraved on the gift item, along with contacts.
The winning producers would also be incubated by Orange and assisted with exposure platforms and other fringe benefits necessary for the growth of a start-up.
Basarwa of Ghantsi were dying for this opportunity. Over the weekend Orange Botswana also exhibited the Basarwa craftswomen’s produce in their stall (Orange Botswana) at the just concluded World Information and Technology Society Day (WITSD) held in Ghantsi throughout last week.
According to Ghantsi Craft coordinator Mmamaswe Kikonyane, the craftswomen are skilled in turning the originally white egg shells into black and brown colours through varying heating temperatures.
Orange Botswana spokesperson and foundation manager Boga Chilinde also sensitised Basarwa women about the woman empowerment project, Women for Change, where influential women in the field of entrepreneurship promotion stand a chance to win P300 000 as they compete with the rest of their peers in the continent. Chilinde also told the women about the success of a fellow Botswana women leader of Kgetsi ya tsie, who won herself P60 000 after her project was selected to compete in the finals last year.