Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BASKET WEAVING
Botswana is most famous for the basketry produced in the northwestern regions of the
Okavango Delta by Wayeyi and Mbukushu women. Like most material arts in Africa,
they have a practical purpose, but their intricate construction and evocative designs - with
names like Tears of the Giraffe or Flight of the Swallows - are anything but.
In the watery environs of the delta, the baskets serve as watertight containers for grains
and seeds. The weaving is so tight on some that they were also used as beer kegs. All the
baskets are made from the leaf fibre of the real fan palm (
mokolane
) and colours are de-
rived from soaking the fibres in natural plant dyes. The work is incredibly skilful and
provides one of the most important sources of income for rural families.
One of the best places to purchase the work is the Shorobe Baskets Cooperative in
Shorobe, north of Maun. While it is always better to buy craftwork in the area in which it
is produced (you tend to get better prices and the proceeds go directly to the community in
question), another good place to browse for high-quality crafts is Botswanacraft Market-
ing (
Click here
)
in Gaborone.
SAN CRAFTS
Traditional San crafts include ostrich-eggshell jewellery, leather aprons and bags and
strands of seeds and nuts (you may not be able to import these into some countries).
In recent years, traditional San painting has been experiencing something of a revival,
with traditional themes wedded to contemporary techniques. The best places to see San art
and handicrafts:
» Botswanacraft Marketing (
Click here
)
, Gaborone
» Gantsi Craft (
Click here
)
, Ghanzi
» Kuru Art Project (
Click here
)
, D'kar
Dance
In traditional tribal societies, dance has an important symbolic role in expressing social
values and marking the different stages of life. It is also a key component of traditional
medicine and ancestor worship, where dance is a medium of communication with the spir-
itual realm. In a world without TV, it's also a great excuse for a community knees-up.
The best-documented dances in popular travel literature such as
The Healing Land
and
films such as
The Great Dance
are those of the San, whose traditional dances have many
different meanings. They were a way to thank the gods for a successful hunt and plentiful
rains, to cure the sick and to celebrate a girl's transition into womanhood. Implements
