By Frederick Philander
WINDHOEK
A DVD that documents the preservation of art craft skills and knowledge of the past by women in the four northern regions was last week ceremoniously launched in the capital.
As guest speaker at the occasion the Deputy Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, Pohamba Shifeta, praised the initiators of the project as a good way of preserving the evolving art craft industry.
“Ensuring the survival of handcrafted artefacts is an important factor in the growth of a developing nation and one that guarantees economic independence when original cultures globally are threatened by constant changes in the modern world,” Shifeta said of the project that was financed by Hivos and the Finnish Embassy in Windhoek.
The title of the DVD is, ‘A link to the past – a bridge to the future from the North Central of Namibia’. According to Shifeta craft production must be appreciated for its cultural, aesthetic and economic values on its own terms and bearing in mind the communities from which its originates.
“Emerging as it does from the traditional perspective, this DVD documentary product integrates old methods with new designs and thus serves as a means of communicating traditional values to the buying public,” he commended the efforts of the JMAC Art Centre.
The DVD focuses primarily on the traditional creation of baskets and clay pot making.
“It is a confirmation of the traditionally and culturally rooted rural craft art in basketry and pottery of the north central region. It is aimed at the people of the northern regions to visually transmit to their grandchildren their natural skills and expose children through the formal school curriculum the knowledge of these rich traditional craft art,” he said.
A number of pottery and basketry workshops had been organized at the Nakambale Museum in the north for the purpose of recording the events for prosperity by JMAC.
“These traditional art rooted items have found markets in Sweden and Finland since 2005. I understand another group, the Ohandje Artists Cooperative, is also about to make a breakthrough in other European markets. In this regard I wish to encourage JMAC to continue educating, developing and uncovering the hidden creative craft talents on the periphery of the Namibian arts fraternity,” he said.