RUNDU – Somewhere 13 kilometres west of Rundu, along the Rundu-Grootfontein road, in a village called Masivi, you will find a local clay craft artist know as Frans Kawende who makes a lot of things out of clay be it beads, dishes, pots and sculptures. In fact he says he can make anything imaginable out of clay.
Kawende has been doing clay craft for almost his life and he says this trade has been in his family for years. “My grandparents and parents both do clay craft and all the children in the family have the knowledge to do different things that they can design and make with clay,” Kawende said.
Villages along the Rundu-Grootfontein road are known to be good with art activities, be it clay craft and wood carving and one can see it along the road if you drive from Rundu to Grootfontein or the other way round.
Kawende sells his work of art along the road to drive-by local folks and local lodges also make orders. “Sometimes lodge owners come with certain designs that they want to be made for them and I do it for them at a cost,” he said.
He added that tourists mainly prefer to buy wood carved crafts than clay crafts as they may break whilst travelling and wood is ideal for them. “But some tourist still opt to buy as they just can’t resist the art,” he said.
However, Kawende being a dedicated clay craft artist, he says it’s not always a walk in the park as sometimes life gets difficult especially during what he describes as a dry season. “We, together with other clay craft artists normally do good business from May to October and during the period from November to April, we struggle to sell our craft art,” he said.
“The benefit of clay craft is there, I am making a living by using my hands making clay art and it’s what I am good at. It is just like the people who have a 8 to 5 job,” he said.
He also told New Era that his grandmother trained many of the villagers who do clay craft along the Rundu/Grootfontein road and he tries to do the same. “I have tried to teach some fellow youth but they say it’s a dirty trade and that they don’t want to do it, but they are not educated, and I am making use of it to make a living. They should try it too,” Kawende said. He has managed to complete grade 12 in the year 2000 and is married with a two-year old son.