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Namibia: Craft Outlet Boosts Tourism
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New Era (Windhoek)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Chrispin Inambao
Katima Mulilo
Mashi Craft Centre a sales outlet for a variety of neatly-stacked tribal artifacts namely woven trays, baskets, walking sticks and exquisitely carved animals such as buffalo, elephant, hippo and crocodile, serves as a primary cash-cow for villagers.
Mashi Craft Centre is located near the junction of the Kongola/Katima Mulilo main tarred road and the Kongola/Sangwali gravel road and this neat sales outlet sticks-out.
Tourists that flock to Mudumu National Park and the yet to be promulgated Bwabwata National Park and those that view game by boat along the Kongola River have to pass this vital craft sales outlet through which villagers from Masida, Lubuta, Sachona, Sangwali, Lizauli, Sikaunga sell crafts and use their earnings to augment existing subsistence income.
Its staff complement consists of two sales women: Mavis Kulibabeka and Priscilla Chata who assist its manager Bester Mutanincwa with the day-to-day operations. The sales crew reports to a 10-member committee comprising of nominees from various villages.
In a recent interview Mutanincwa said the 10-member committee comprises of villagers from Masida (two), Lubuta (one), Sachona (one), Sangwali (two), Lizauli (one), Sikaunga (two) and Choi (one), while resource monitors play an important function.
He said the community resource monitors hand picked from nine conservancies in this game-rich part of Caprivi supply this immaculate outlet with crafts and they double as cash collectors who distribute these monthly earnings among participating villagers.
Community resource monitors also give hints to villagers on how harvest the best grass and the palm leaves used in the fashioning of exquisitely decorated cream baskets.
Last year the various basket makers collectively collected cash of N$177000 this after the sales outlet had deducted its percentage. In the peak tourism months they received N$14953 in April, in May it was N$19334, in June the figure stood at N$10353 while in July sales shot to a record N$31802, in August monthly sales were N$23274.
All expenses for last year came to N$140000 of which craft-makers raked in N$112112 and the sum of N$20250 went for salaries and the management committee got N$2900.
Last year this sales outlet had a surplus of N$37643 and this year it was business as usual albeit on a slightly toned down scale as the centre recorded sales of N$7522 in January this year compared to total receipts of N$9123 registered in January last year.
The money paid to these villagers comes in handy and goes a long way to pay for school fees, medical bills and for basics such as sugar, salt, candles and corn meal among others.
With the mosquito season just around the corner some of these craft-makers procure insect repellents, while others are able to use the money to pay for mosquito nets.
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The outlet apart from baskets hand-made from reed and grass, sales reed mats, seed necklaces, arrows, axes, wooden spoons and indigenous thumb pianos.
The craft centre is in located in the area under the tribal ambit of the leader of the Mashi Community Chief Joseph Tembwe Mayuni whose area of jurisdiction stretches from Singalamwe to Lizauli and covers parts of Kongola, Sachona, Masida and Choi, among others. Last year the Namibia Nature Foundation awarded the chief for environmentalist of the decade for his role in the formation of three conservancies.
New Era Publications Corporation Copyright - All rights reserved
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