GOBABIS – Desperate times call for desperate measures and means to survive as William Kanjee from Otjinene can attest to.
Kanjee caught a ride with friends from Okakarara last week to come and showcase his rather unique art at the second Omaheke Trade Fair in Gobabis in the Omaheke Region. Namibian wood carvers all well-known among tourists visiting the country, but Kanjee brought with him unique hand-crafted pieces that caught the eye of many at the successful fair which took place over five days and attracted some 2 800 show-goers. Kanjee uses only the wood of the tree known as the ‘Omupeta” in the Herero language, because these trees are in abundance in his area. “But I do not just blindly cut down these trees. I am aware of conserving our indigenous trees, and I mostly use the dead branches of the Omupeta,” he explained. The first thing that strikes you about this wood carver is his humility.
“I have tried my hand at many art forms and have learned that one should always stay humble and work hard if you are to achieve something in this tough life. My work is blood and sweat, but without the tears because I find joy in what I do and regard it as an honest profession. My end pieces bring great joy to their owners and that is important to me, because at the end of another hard day’s work, I know I have achieved something which other people enjoy and I have money in my pocket to buy some food,” he says.
Kanjee strips the bark from the branches and then painstakingly goes about burning the pieces over an open fire to get the desired result. These branches ultimately serve as frame holders, which also assembles from left-over pieces of wood he collects on his daily excursions. “I sometimes have to walk up to 13 km or more a day to find what I need. My biggest wish is to be able to buy my own donkey-cart, or even a bicycle to transport my wood. This is hard work, but it is rewarding,” he says proudly. He says it takes up to four days to complete six frame holders. ”Customers then supply me with the pictures they want mounted in the frames and to complete the picture, so to speak, I hang the framed pictures on the burned and treated tree branches,” he explains. He uses a hand saw he got from a client and fits it with a blade from a meat saw as he says the blade is very strong and lasts a long time.
He frames pictures in sizes ranging from A4 to A2, and sometimes as big as A5. On special request, he is also prepared to fit light bulbs in various colours and supply the wiring. “Once lit up, these burned branches provide an exciting backdrop for the framed pictures and they make an ideal gift to be placed in a living room.”
By Deon Schlechter