Granny brings ceramic art to life
Lindiwe Mozola | Friday July 29, 2016 12:45
Today in any definition of a craftsman, there is still inherent the idea of man who makes things by his hands, one at a time, with his skills, tools, intuitive gifts of form, colour, use of materials and techniques.
This is a feeling you get when looking at the bravura art pieces produced by the granny from her touch, skill and gift. Driven by love and passion in art at a young age, this led the self-driven mother of five to venture into the world of ceramics.
“At a young age, I would design everything from flower pots to jewellery boxes for decoration in the house. I knew by then that when I grow up I wanted to be an artist. But due to lack of resources back then, I had to put my love aside and do what life had to offer and I ended up being a teacher,” she said.
However her visit to South Africa in 2010 awakened that desire in her after witnessing a group of women moulding pots, which she fell in love with. She watched how they bring them to life with a mixture of powders. After her retirement from teaching she never looked back and started her business. She said it takes hard work, perseverance and dedication to make the pots, and she has all those qualities. To make the pots, she mixes bentonite powder with sand. She makes a supporting frame from planks and broken pieces of old pots. She then melts alluminium metal using coals, which is poured into the frame. Finally she pours the mixture of sand and bentonite into the frame, which takes the form of the supporting structure to make a pot. “It is hard labour and requires one to be patient because at times the pot does not take the shape due to a poor mixture and you have to start afresh,” added Ibineng.
She said there are challenges such as lack of resources since she buys most of the products in South Africa. Lack of a reliable market, according to her is another challenge, which hinders production. She says Batswana do not support local producers, citing poor quality products and would rather buy from foreigners.
She said her future plan is to have her own workshop as well as train young Batswana who are art enthusiasts. She currently has two young employees in her business. She urged women to be independent and desist from being spoon-fed by the government.