The gods Answer Basarwa�s Cry For Ostrich Egg-Shells

Working with ostrich egg shells. Some of the 20 crafts women at a week long workshop supported by Orange Foundation
Working with ostrich egg shells. Some of the 20 crafts women at a week long workshop supported by Orange Foundation

Basarwa craftswomen were working with the hard to find ostrich egg shells again last week as the gods delivered them the rare gifts in five 50kg bags filled with the ostrich egg shells.

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.

Editor's Comment
Child protection needs more than prevailing laws

The rise in defilement and missing persons cases, particularly over the recent festive period, points not merely to a failure of policing, but to a profound and widespread societal crisis. Whilst the Police chief’s plea is rightly directed at parents, the root of this emergency runs deeper, demanding a collective response from every corner of our community. Marathe’s observations paint a picture of neglect with children left alone for...

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