South Africa – Day 3

We visited the rural town of Soweto. Many parts of Soweto rank among the poorest in Johannesburg, although individual townships tend to have a mix of wealthier and poorer residents.

On route to Soweto we stopped off at Sikhula Sonke, an institute that offers training and empowerment. Part of this includes teaching beadwork and how to produce traditional African attire.  We were greeted by a colourful character, Nosidima, who was dressed in one of traditional ethic group’s costumes.

She explained that it would take up to three months of training to teach crafters the full skills. We were shown each of the different ethnic group’s attires, all beautifully crafted and incorporating the intricate beadwork. The different ethnic groups and their costumes were:

 

Sethotho

Shosa

Isizulu

Sipedi

Isiwati

Zulu (modern)

Zulu (Traditional)

Isindebele

Isixhosa

 

Tshivenda

Amampondo

Zulu (male)

After this we visited Ke-Ditselena Multi Cultural village. The village depicts the heritage inventories of the indigenous cultures in South Africa and here we were treated to a tribal dance from one of the ethnic groups; a true African experience!

We then headed into Soweto where we met with two different crafters who both showed great determination and dedication to their craft. The first was two young men called Itumeleng and Kgotso who had established a brand called Mpoop Aesthetics specialising in leather bags.

They used organic materials and hand made each bag to a high quality and style. They explained how they receive no funding at all and everything comes of their own pockets to keep the brand alive. They worked from a tiny room with all the tools and materials they needed on one table and the bags they had created were displayed on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. It was very rural and back to basics but it showed great talent for the craft and a strong commitment in what they were doing.

 

We were then taken to what was the probably the most rustic and deprived township to meet with a jewellery designer called Veronica Ngibi. Her brand was called Ithalente and she crafted beautiful pieces of beaded jewellery including necklaces, bracelets, rings and even bowls.

Veronica took us to what seemed like her bedroom; a ting shack with a bed in it and laid out on the bed was examples of her work. The designs were bright and vibrant with meticulous attention to detail. Veronica explained how she even manufactured the beads from old pieces of telephone wire; truly innovative.  

 

Reviewing the craft work was exactly why the trip to South Africa has taken place. Sourcing this level of craftsmanship is what has been needed to now go back to the UK and commence the International Fashion Fusion Project with Haringey Council and leading etailer asos.com. This is such a unique project and having seen first hand the underprivileged conditions of these talented crafters in South Africa it is fantastic to be able to do something to help with such a ground breaking initiative.