Driving beyond boyhood dreams
Spira Tlhankane | Friday November 18, 2016 15:10
Malete Nkwe did not know he was an artist at the time but his products can be classified as folk art. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, folk art is a predominantly functional or utilitarian visual art created by hand (or with limited mechanical facilities) for use by the maker. Folk art is the creative expression of the human struggle toward civilisation within a particular environment through the production of useful but aesthetic buildings and objects.
When Arts & Culture caught up with the veteran artist at his dwelling in Phase 2, Gaborone, Nkwe was still working on his wire sculptures. Most of Nkwe’s wire sculptures are traditional African handmade wire toy cars and bikes. The motorbikes and cars are very detailed and encompass parts such as engines. The products are made out of metal and copper wire with tin cans as wheels. Tourists love his products and locally they are popular among children.
Nkwe is an artist who works best with wire and he also weaves baskets and vases with wire. “Baskets are bought by women and making them consumes most of my time,” he said. He decorates the wire with beads to make beautiful products. “I use wire, beads, tins and tubes,” he said. He said working with hard wire has taught him to use pliers as his reliable tool. “I use freehand; I use paint in some artworks,” he said. Nkwe started realising his dream in 1980 at the age of 13 and like any other child, he grew up in Botswana at the time there were no video games to play with. A simple model bicycle made from discarded wire is exactly what began his journey.
He was pushed by childish fancies at a time when bicycle ownership was low in Botswana. Nkwe said there was a handcraft competition at Phuthadikobo Museum in Mochudi and the winner was to walk away with a bike. “I wanted that bike and I decided to make a small wire bicycle but it was not perfect,” he said.
Nkwe said other children made beautiful wire cars and he was not proud of his product.
“I hid it under my shirt when I went to the museum to submit,” he said.
After some time Nkwe recalled that he was called to the museum and he thought he had won. “I was with my mother and when we arrived we saw a white man holding my bike in his hand asking for the selling price,” he said.
The 13-year-old Nkwe was to sell the bike 25 thebe but his mother negotiated to a price of P2.50 for the bike. He said he did not see what opportunity the bike had opened for him. Nkwe said the museum management asked him to make small products for them and it was never an easy job. He had to use discarded wire and the material was hard to come by because most people had not fenced their homes. He said he also struggled with perfection and precision when it came to his handwork. “It was a struggle and sometimes I had to fix some mistakes in my products,” he said.
Along the years, Nkwe increased the price of the bicycle and things changed for the better when he met Oliver Groth of Botswana Craft and started selling the wire products to him (Groth) and other clients. “Today I sell them everywhere and a small bike costs a minimum of P160,” he said. Nkwe said he mostly sells his products to foreign tourists compared to Batswana. He is inspired by what he sees in magazines and it encourages him to be precise.
“I can make different types of bikes and people love that,” he said. He however indicated that working with wire is dangerous because one can easily get hurt. “I went through these challenges and now I am careful whenever I work with wire or tin,” he highlighted.
He said he is now working with wood to learn about wood sculptures. Nkwe said artists especially veterans with most skills are disadvantaged these days and have less opportunities. Nkwe said it would not derail him from his passion.
“Its not in my head but in my spirit. If I cannot put my idea into practical work, I become unsettled,” he said. Going forward Nkwe said he wants to work more on inventions and produce his products in bulk.