WINDHOEK- Although there are still imbalances in women representation at political level and in top leadership positions, women within the local communities continue to utilise indigenous knowledge of unique and natural products to support their families. Kalahari Wild Silk Manufacturing is a project run wholly by 25 women at the sleepy town of Leonardville in the Omaheke Region where production of unique naturally woven products takes place. They produce a wide range of scarves, shawls, neckties, bedding and cushion covers, among other goods, which are all made out of natural resources called cocoons.
The project quality control officer, Wilhemina Springbok, who with fellow women has joined the more the 2 000 delegates from 195 countries attending the11th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 11) which started on Monday at the Windhoek Country Club Resort and Casino, explained how they started their successful business. She said until recently, the moth Gonometa Postiga was seen as a threat to livestock and game farming on the fringes of the Kalahari in the Omaheke and Hardap regions. The moth hatches from cocoons that are spun by larvae on camelthorn and blackthorn trees including prosopis trees upon which the larvae feed before pupating. According to her, the animals feed on the dry cocoons, which cannot be digested, resulting in severe rumen impaction and sometimes even in death of livestock.
Further, she explained that back in 2003, an investor from Madagascar came to the sleepy town and figured that silk can be manufactured from the dry cocoons. “We started collecting dry cocoons from nearby farms and then he trained us how to make modern products out of them. We first cook the cocoons for an hour so that it turns soft. Then we spin them on the spinning wheel to make threads. We start weaving to make scarves, curtains, bed sheets, floor mats, pillow cases and even duvet covers,” Springbok explained. Unfortunately, she said, their mentor from Madagascar died in 2006 but his death did not discourage local women.
“We continued with the project. Although we are self-sustainable and making some profit, we still need funding to pay for salaries, water and electricity,” she noted. Asked what their main market segment is, Springbok said it is tourists. Their products range from N$250 per item upwards. They also sell their products to arts and craft centres in Windhoek and Leonardville. Caption (Pic: Products.jpg): Wilhemina Springbok spinning cocoons on the spinning wheel to make threads the women use to weave different natural products.
By Albertina Nakale