Without our network of artists and crafters, Talanha would not be where it is today. They are the essence of our business. It is with their hands and time that they create the unique, quality products you see on this web site today. Like the products they create, they too are unique individuals, each with a story to tell. This is about them . . .

For countless generations, indigenous Southern African families have relied upon subsistence living. As economies developed, some were fortunate enough to find work in the agricultural sector, mining or industry. It was these jobs that became their primary source of livelihood. The bread earner, usually the man, would work to support his family. The family often remained at home in the tribal lands raising children, rearing a few cattle or goats and growing vegetables. They lived a simple life. In time, as agriculture, mining and industry picked up; wives and grown women were able to find work in these sectors either cleaning, harvesting or grading. The women who did not have work, or who worked part time, were often trained in various skills such as crochet, thread pulling, embroidery and sewing. These skills could then be used to earn a further income. Often the women would take their skill to the tribal land and teach it to the other women and children. As a result, a small craft industry developed. These women were able to earn a secondary income selling their crafts to the tourist trade of their country. They were able to uplift themselves as well as their families.

In recent years however, economic collapse and the depletion of jobs in these sectors has disrupted their livelihoods. In the case of Zimbabwe, where most of our crafters come from, jobs are no longer. Those who worked in the agricultural sector often lost their homes, meager belongings and their primary source of income. Later craftsmen were driven from their homes in an operation the government claimed, was to remove poverty and grime. These people had to stand by and watch helplessly as their houses were bulldozed, belongings strewn across the wrecked area until there was nothing left. At the same time roadside craft markets were simply trashed or burned to the ground. Months and in some cases years of hard work was reduced to ash. Lives were destroyed, dreams were crushed, hopes were gone.

Joyce, one of our crochet ladies was one such person who lost everything. In a subdued voice she explained, 'First they came and chased us away, then came the bulldozers. We had to hide while we watched our brick and stone home being demolished with all our belongings still inside. When they were gone, we gathered all that we could and left. We now live in a shack on the side of the road. Soon after, my husband had his craft stand burned to the ground. Before doing so, these people took what they wanted, broke what they did not want and then burned the rest. We lost all our carving, beads, batiks and crochet work. So did all of the others. Now we are trying to start again, but we have nothing. My children cannot go to school anymore. Life is very hard for us'. This family, like many others had become dependent on their crafts, but now they can no longer fulfill their needs.

This is just one story, others have been beaten, raped, tortured and their spirits broken. This is a story which is heard across Southern Africa as war has raged, economies have collapsed or political instability has led to corruption and rule of law being overridden. It is always those at the grass roots who take the brunt of all this. They are the innocent who simply want to make a living, but instead they become pawns in a bigger game that they themselves do not understand or wish to become involved in.

In spite of all this, crafters and artists have continued to produce magnificent work with the raw materials they are able to source. Tourist trade has dwindled to nothing in many areas, but this does not stop them. Instead, they make the long and tiresome journey from their country to South Africa or Botswana where they sell their work to passers by and tourists in those countries. This gives them a small income which allows them to feed a family, but it is not enough to improve their living standards or educate themselves. For obvious reasons, the local peoples of South Africa despise these crafters and make their lives very difficult.

One of the few opportunities for these individuals and communities to generate regular cash income is through handicraft sales in local, regional, and international markets. Crafts have traditionally been an integral component of Southern African culture, and there is renewed interest among younger generations in revitalizing traditional art as well as other art and crafts forms which they have learned from Europeans in the past.

By forming networks either within a community or with neighboring communities, we are then able to train, guide and assist crafters to produce quality work to standards which we set. The work must meet international standards. We then have a chief worker who oversees all the crafters. This person listens to the crafters and will help with any problems. Training is offered to those who need it and raw materials and tools are provided where necessary. Our chief worker is able to take orders for work and once it has been produced, she will check for quality. If the work is of a suitable standard, it is then marked off and delivered to our distribution area where it will be checked again, and then dispatched. These crafters are paid per product they make. They work from their homes in small, remote villages. Their homes are usually traditional mud and thatch huts with earth floors. They use fire for cooking and light. It is not uncommon to see the women sitting under the trees relaxing with friends as they sew or crochet. The children will be playing with wire toys in the distance, laughing and shouting. Newborns will be strapped to their mothers backs or suckling from a breast. It is a happy scene where these women are able to carry on with their normal, traditional lives and roles, caring for the young and old and at the same time keeping up with traditions and cultures. Obviously in this case, crafts are produced intermittently meaning that only small quantities can be produced by each individual.

Alternatively, community projects are set up. Women are then able to learn a skill such as embroidery, sewing or printing. They are then able to work on the project with the other women. These women are paid a base salary and then a small commission on each piece they produce of a suitable standard. They can work after hours should they wish to work from home and obviously they are paid per piece.

One such project is where women apply their skills in hand embroidery, drawn and cut thread work to a very high quality cotton. The end products being bed linen, table linen and household decor. The work produced is of a very high standard and meets with international competition. The women who work on this project are ex farm workers of Zimbabwe. This project has given them hope and helps support their families. Without this, they would find it difficult to make a living and often would end up living in the slums with no way of improving their lives or those of their families. Instead they have a job to come to each day. Often you will see them sitting under trees embroidering, smiling and singing. The women can bring their infants and toddlers along to play in the grounds while being watched. These women are grateful for their work, they feel appreciated and they know without this, their lives would be dismal.

As you can imagine, marketing and selling their crafts and art is not always easy given the circumstances, lack of skill and technology in this area. This is where we are able to assist them further. Through our Internet shop we are able to market their work to a broad audience internationally as well as locally. This means, the crafters can concentrate on what they know best their work. Ultimately, we'd like to explore all methods of marketing to ensure full exposure of these wonderful crafts.

Income generated through handicraft sales helps not only to uplift the lives of these people, it helps to support these community projects, buy more raw materials etc. By uplifting these people, we are uplifting families and ultimately communities. As the majority of our crafters will say, 'support us by buying our crafts. We don't want aid, this only supports the corruption. We never see the aid you send. Instead it buys smart vehicles for officials, builds extravagant offices and feeds those who are not hungry. Help us to help ourselves . . . buy our work, help us with projects. This way we can grow and develop our communities'.

With handicrafts sold directly through us from the crafters at international market prices, we are able to ensure significant benefit to the crafters and their families rather than to intermediaries. As all work is carefully hand made, the volumes produced are small, and the prices are higher than those of factory-produced crafts. In some cases the work is completely unique due to the use of traditional designs and techniques as well as individual artistry and skill. No two works can be identical. Your support of these handicrafts benefits our crafters and their communities in their interactions with cash economies and helps to ensure their survival and the continuation of indigenous cultural knowledge and crafts.

Our vision for them - a brighter future.

Help us to help them.