Miss Botswana tiara unlocks hidden opportunity
Spira Tlhankane | Friday October 4, 2019 11:24
On the heels of the crowning moment, the man behind the design of the tiara told Arts & Culture that the opportunity has given him the right exposure.
Caiphas Othomile reflected on how he and his team approached Miss Botswana organisers with the idea.
But before that,Othomile had time to observe as foreign companies dominated the jewellery business in Botswana.
A jewellery design graduate, he immersed himself in a lot of research during his travels abroad.
He also took it upon himself to stretch out the local jewellery design from just making wedding rings to something unique.
“We have diamonds, so I thought it was high time we made our crown for our Miss Botswana queen,” he said.
Othomile was also quick to highlight that the organisers of Miss Botswana really loved his idea from the onset. “It showed that Batswana are also capable of designing something that represents our values and ideals,” he added.
Speaking of values, Othomile said they wanted to come up with an idea that showed everyone how a typical Motswana woman should look like.
“We did our research, which included making stops at places such as University of Botswana and The National Museum. We then decided to come up with the noble woman idea and it stood out,” he said.
Othomile said in Botswana society, there was a way a Motswana woman should be portrayed. He said a Motswana woman possesses a lot of ideals like respect, which the crown design depicts as a dignified person.
He said they also put in the aspect that a woman has to wear a headscarf, as it is norm in Setswana culture.
Othomile said after putting their design into a wearable crown, they felt that Miss Botswana’s victory was a win for all even on the big stage.
“We thank Miss Botswana for this platform because we now have a good image,” he said.