Proactive and inventive community
development project, Woza Moya, situated next door to the Buddhist Retreat
Centre in the beautiful Ixopo area, has birthed an innovative fabric range
which has taken years to envision.
Woza Moya Ixopo was established in 2000 by
providing home-based health care in response to the devastating impact of
HIV/Aids in the region. Woza Moya has developed a holistic and integrated
approach which includes child care and protection; sustainable livelihoods;
early childhood development, and youth development, which directly impacts on 2,000
people and benefits closer to 8,000.
The craft enterprise as part of the
sustainable livelihoods programme is a cornerstone of the organisation. The
culmination of a thorough and carefully-managed multi-pronged process was a
range of hand-embroidered images, originally designed by Leonie Malherbe, which
have now been digitally printed onto fabric to be made into a contemporary
product range.
Named after the countryside the
organisation calls home, the new Ufafa Valley range gives a voice to a group of
tenacious and vulnerable women disenfranchised by poverty and hardship. Originally
the project came out of a need to create disposable income for women to have
sufficient travel money in order to get to town to collect HIV / Aids
medication. This project differs from similar endeavours as the starting point
was not harnessing existing handiwork skills in order to create a sustainable
income – but to teach skills to a group of women who had none.
After a decade of training, guiding,
sharing and enabling, the women of the valley are now designers of a range of
exquisite fabrics which, to those who have been part of the journey, is cause
for celebration. This shifts the perception and magnitude of their work into a
whole new direction of potential and growth.
Director Sue Hedden is ecstatic with this
new chapter and sense of accomplishment this means to the crafters: “Through
this creative process dignity is restored as the women grown in self-confidence
and self-esteem. The crafters are now proud, affirmed and independent women!”
With funding from Rotary Global Grant, a
year-long project was undertaken to develop the crafting team at Woza Moya.
Angela Shaw of the KZNSA was commissioned to advise on range planning, product
design and market presentation. “It is the KZNSA’s mandate to grow the creative
economy in KZN, and to bring the wealth of talent we have in the province to
market. We jumped at the opportunity to share design and market insights, and
to directly contribute to high-end handmade product that could be exhibited in
the KZNSA gallery and retailed in our shop.”
Over the course of a year, Shaw made
monthly visits to work one-on-one with the crafters and support admin team. Together
they worked on viable new product direction, building on the remarkable work
and phenomenal training of former Woza Moya artist and embroidery teacher,
Leonie Malherbe.
As part of the training, makers and the
admin team visited the KZNSA Gallery and shop in Durban, plus other craft
retailers, to get a sense of how their product comes to market.
“Crafters were given helpful guidelines on colour,
shape and product engineering, but the focus was to build individual’s creative
confidence so they can work independently and learn to trust their own design
instincts.”
With input from commercial designers, the
embroidery designs have been converted to prints that are now available as
stationery and textile ranges. The fabrics will be developed into interior and
clothing lines to generate income for the crafters, and sustainability for the
organisation. The fabrics are a printed version of the crafters' own embroidery
work. The embroiderers then do freestyle embroidery onto the fabric to add
texture and depth, and to enhance their own designs which have been converted
to prints.
The new fabric collection will complement
the existing range of adorable soft toys, known as the Sock Monkeys; hand
embroidered goods (cushions, bags and hoops); printed cards and knitted wares
(scarves and beanies).
The exhibition, in the KZNSA’s mezzanine
gallery, is the launch of the textile range and Ufafa Valley, the new brand
name of Woza Moya, Ixopo’s crafting division. It will feature enormous dramatic
fabric drapes fronted by beautiful portrait photographs of the embroiderers,
knitters and crafters, taken by Angie Buckland.
The organisers wish to acknowledge the Rotary
Global Grant and Dr Marion Spence and John Hinks who have made this project
possible.
Crafters are Thandi Mzolo, Gugu Chiliza,
Thembisile Mdladla, Jabulile Ngubane, Nompumelelo Dlamini, Nokwanda Ndlovu,
Thobisile Mbanjwa, Thembeka Tenza, Nokuthula Ngcobo, and Alfrina Mahlaba.
The exhibition runs until October 29 at the
KZNSA Gallery, 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031
277 1705, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsa.co.za
For
more information about the work of Woza Moya Community Development Project in
the Ufafa Valley, visit wozamoya.org.za
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