AM DI – San women at Am Di village, some 80 kilometres from Tsumkwe, are struggling to sell their crafts made from ostrich eggshells, as there is no market.
These women, who rely on gathering, hunting and government drought relief for survival, are trying to fight poverty by producing hand-made artefacts. However, they lack a steady market for their products.
“We make necklaces and bracelets to earn money, but we rarely sell anything. We need customers and a proper market for our crafts,” Tci!xo Bo, one of the traders told New Era during a visit to their village recently.
She noted that she learned the craft from her mother, and started her small business using money from her children’s social grants.
Bo said her business has now stalled due to the lack of buyers. In the past, they used to sell their crafts in Tsumkwe through barter arrangements, often exchanging them for food.
“But things have changed. People no longer come to us. We are stuck with our products,” she said.
Another craftswoman, Xoa//a!Ai!ae, agreed, saying tourists were once their main customers, buying necklaces for N$150 and bracelets for N$100. Unlike tourists, locals often bargain for much lower prices, sometimes as little as N$10, leaving them with no profit.
“Tourists paid fair prices. They didn’t bargain. But locals, if they buy at all, demand to pay as little as N$10. That’s barely enough to cover the cost of making the crafts,” she said.
The women’s remote location makes it even harder to reach prospective customers.
“Our problem is that traders in Tsumkwe have taken over. Customers no longer come to us because we live in a remote area,” she lamented.
The women are now appealing for help to connect with a market or reliable buyers who can pay fair prices for their products.
They hope to supply their crafts, and receive consistent payments to support their families.
“We are doing everything we can to make a living, but without a market, we cannot succeed,” Bo said. She hopes someone will step forward to help them turn their craft-making skills into a sustainable source of income.