Silversmiths from Botswana and Sweden, Catherine Motshwari and Helena Hallberg, hope to forge not only a long term business partnership, but a lifelong friendship too.
During the 1980’s Catherine Motshwari, 58, moved permanently from Thamaga village, in the Kweneng district, to the capital city Gaborone to look for work. She had just completed her Form Three level at secondary school.
Once in Gaborone, she came across a newspaper advertisement. “It was of some German guy coming to Botswana to teach a jewellery making course,” recalls Motshwari. As she remembers it, the course was sponsored by the Botswana government together with the United Nations Development Programme.
Motshwari completed her four-year course in jewellery design, specialising in handicrafts or craft market products. “We were taught how to design a jewellery piece and how to ‘take it to metal’ or how to make it look like you want. I am what they call a ‘silversmith’; someone who creates silver based products like earrings, bracelets or necklaces. There is a lot more that people do with silver. We were also taught book keeping and business development.” In 1986, she started her own craft shop ‘Motanka Jewellery’ a workshop she operated from an open market area in Bontleng, a small residential area in Gaborone. She often wonders if she would have done jewellery design if she was not job seeking then; either way she is now passionate about her craft.
“I did see it as an opportunity and over the years the craft has kept me creative and busy,” she adds.
Last year, Motshwari decided to scale down her business and now runs it from her home in Broadhurst, a Gaborone suburb. “I operate from a little room at home. I have a small machine which I use to make the pieces.”
She explains that unlike other industries local jewellery makers or designers do not have representation in the form of an organisation overseeing and coordinating the field. “I can’t do it alone,” stresses Motshwari. “I can’t go ahead alone. Maybe if there was someone representing our voices, promoting us, we could get ahead.”
She says the jewellery making scene tends to be highly technical, requiring specialised training, materials and tools. To make her silver and delicate jewels she needs the raw material, silver, a ‘precious material’ which is not available locally. “Even the tools and the polishing creams are not available locally. I spend quite a bit transporting items from South Africa.”
Why choose material which is not available locally?
“I wanted to make valuable products. I didn’t want to use brass because it wears and tears easily and loses its shine. I didn’t, want to use copper either because it also tarnishes,” she explains.
The inspiration for her designs are adapted from the local environment, especially tourist hot spots which she also enjoyed visiting. “Foreigners or tourists like the idea of wearing earrings with Basarwa rock painting designs from areas such as the Tsodilo Hills for example or designs using huts,” enthuses Motshwari.
Tourists make up the biggest chunk of her clientele and her biggest customer is the ‘Botswana Craft’. According to the company page, the Botswana Craft is a Botswana Developmental Corporation initiative and was established in 1970 to develop the rural based handicraft industry of the country. The company has now been privately owned since 1993 and has grown to be Botswana’s largest retailer and exporter of handicrafts.
“I have a long history with the Botswana Craft. They buy our products in bulk. If there were more buyers like Botswana Craft it would be better,” she says.
Aside from the craft centre she also sells to the Mokolodi Game Reserve and the museum in Francistown.
In Sweden, in the countryside west of the city of Falkoping, is Helena Hallberg, 48, another silversmith who also operates from home. Like Motshwari, Hallberg makes hand-made silver jewellery and trades as ‘Smycken and Smatt’.
“I love creativity. I love seeing my ideas come alive,” says Hallberg, a mother of three children.
Interestingly, she has been engaged to her partner and the father of her children since she was a teeny 18 years old. “We promised we would get married when we get bored,” she says giggling.
Twenty two years ago, she was involved in a car accident that gave her a neck strain which prevented her from doing much else. Hallberg, who has worked as a journalist, decided to quit her then full time job and make a living from home to avoid causing herself more discomfort.
“I also have a workshop in my garden. I have 10 ÔÇô 15 years making jewellery and seven of those on silver. I started out with less expensive material.”
She also went through some silversmith courses in her home country through ‘Medborgarskolan’ and received a scholarship in 2009 via the ‘Ellen Key Strand Foundation’ which supports the ‘development of women skills and training for handicrafts and culture’. Her designs are also influenced by her surroundings; traditional patterns and cultural items like old Swedish coins and roof trusses from medieval churches in her area.
“I even modify silver jewellery from ancient times into my designs, and copy the patterns from my grand mother’s crocheted lace,” says Hallberg.
Within her jewel designs she has a line of silver ‘angels’ which are popular amongst her customers. There is also one particular model jewel called the ‘Majken-heart’ which she designed and dedicated to vulnerable and needy people from around the world. All the income from any ‘Majken-heart sold is donated to charity.
The third party in this relationship, the binding gel, is Anna-Carin Stenbeck ÔÇô a Swede living in Botswana who manages projects and assists with cultural exchange through the ‘Partner Driven Cooperation Programme’ between Sweden and Botswana.
“I came to Botswana with my husband Sten Stenbeck and children from Sweden in 2007, initially for HIV/AIDS work with Forum Syd, a Swedish based NGO.”
As part of the cultural exchange concept, Stenbeck has worked with local musicians such as Shanti Lo and has connected them with and brought into Botswana Swedish based artists who have conducted various workshops where skills, ideas and latest innovations have been shared.
“The idea is to partner art entrepreneurs from different cultures and backgrounds to create a platform for their respective art to find areas where corporation can take place to widen their markets. Where institutions and individuals can build their capacities,” clarifies Stenbeck as she explains further on the concept of the Partner Driven Corporation Programme. “Art is among other things a tool to develop our historic roots and traditions,” she adds.
“Without Anna-Carin I wouldn’t have come to Botswana. She visited my workshop in Falkoping (Sweden) and told me about Catherine and how similar her workplace was to mine and suggested I try to get financial support for a co-operation with Botswana,” says Hallberg. “Of course there are differences but mainly similarities,” she adds about the two businesses. The corporation project is co-financed by the Swedish International Development Agency.
From here Motshwari will be visiting Sweden in August this year to see her colleagues’ workshop for more inspiration and ideas and also to participate in ‘craft fairs’. She will also get the chance to meet jewellery making students at a secondary school at Falkoping and together with Helena they will take part in a five-day jewellery making course in a neighbouring town called Tidaholm.
Apart from Motshwari’s workshop, Hallberg spent a total of two weeks in Botswana and had the chance to go further into the mainland to Ghantsi to see the Kuru Art. “I was so excited to be there,” she says beaming. “Despite the brown and dry environment it was lovely to see how colourful the Kuru Art is. It was inspirational to see the pride; happiness and enthusiasm the people have for their art; in what they do despite the challenges that poverty brings to the area.”
Hallberg has also conducted a two-day workshop with the ‘Phatsima Group’ and got an appreciation of the work done in the diamond industry after visiting the Steinmetz diamond cutting company.
Most importantly she has met not only a business partner but a friend. “I now have an older sister in Catherine,” says Hallberg. “I would like to come back and visit again in a couple of years, there are so many possibilities.”
Motshwari, whose husband passed away back in 1997, lives with two of her four daughters and two boys who she adopted after her sister-in-law passed away. “Thanks to Helena I asked my kids to create a Facebook profile for me so I can communicate with her for much cheaper and also share design ideas,” she adds with a smile.
If you would like to order some silver jewels from Catherine call her on +267 3911625 and for a look at some of Helena’s angels visit her website on www.smyckensmatt.se
