A small group of rural South African artisans are looking for business opportunities in India
A beautiful display of handicrafts made of ceramics, wood, clay, and bamboo adorns the stall set up by a handful of South African entrepreneurs at the India International Trade Fair in New Delhi.
Among them is Toni Burton, the woman who runs Zizamele Ceramics, one of the many small units that have changed the lives of rural, unemployed artisans by training them to make decorative pieces.
Zizamele’s handicrafts are fairly popular as corporate gifting items. The price of these goes up to Rs 22,000. Burton is now stressing heavily on the marketing of her products, having restricted herself to the home country for long. The firm bagged an order of 1,200 ceramic decorative pieces from the US recently. “Marketing is crucial in South Africa. You will find many people who make beautiful things, but it does not sell. This is because they don’t know how to sell it,” says Burton.
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The story behind Zizamele is that of development and women’s empowerment. Four years back, the South African government sponsored an 18-month course in ceramics handicrafts for the rural unemployed. This was followed by a six-month internship called the Learn and Earn Program. The products made by the rural artisans were well-liked and it made good business sense to sell them at a profit. “I decided to register my company, and the same people have been with me for four years now,” Burton adds.
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| Marketing is crucial. You will find many people who make beautiful things, but it does not sell. This is because they don’t know how to sell it. Toni Burton | I am more interested in working with women. I believe women are the backbone of every country. Ramadimetja E. Labese |
For entrepreneur Ramadimetja E. Labese, what started as a hobby to make clay models such as jewelry, neck pieces, and bracelets is now a business under the name of Mmupi and Clay General Trade. She founded the firm in 2003 with five people who came from rural areas. Recently she launched a new range in bathroom and kitchenware. She is now looking to supply to big shops and export houses worldwide.
Then there is Zwathu Art and Craft Centre, established in 1996, which exhibits the creations of 41 people from the Venda region in South Africa. Their products include pots, beaded handbags, and tablecloths ranging from Rs. 300 to 7,000.
The secret of quality
The quality and finish of these South African handicrafts is commendable. According to Khathu Tshirhidzo of Zwathu Art and Craft Centre, “We spend considerable time making each product.” Burton believes it is the combination of her Western education with traditional African designs that paves way for innovative designs that ultimately sell. According to her, “We have not just stuck ourselves to traditional craft, we have moved further. But, the African vibrancy is still reflected in our work.”
Tshirhidzo talks at length about pot making, and highlights the importance of burnishing and finishing. She says, “The more you burnish the pot, the more the shine. After burnishing, it will look more glossy. Sometimes, people go for two to three minutes of burnishing, not giving it enough time. And that is where our secret lies, we burnish it a lot. After that we also give emphasis on finishing. We make sure that the end product is extremely neat.”
“I don’t think we can ever be a factory; with the kind of work we do, we will always be a studio. Every single piece we produce is unique, even the animals. What we make is almost an art piece,” says Burton.
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