Nelson Direng
3 July 2009
Most of us consider trash as one of the filthiest things a human being can ever come in contact with. We associate it with the poor, poverty and diseases but 22-year-old Teko Villander has proven the saying that another man's meat is another's poison.
Waste is one of the best things that could have ever happened to him. Do not get it wrong he is not a street kid or a 'bashi' as we are used to calling them. He is actually a normal 22-year-old and goes to school like everyone his age.
The difference with Villander and the ordinary 22-year-old is his ambition to succeed using abundant resources. He converts trash into useful goods to make ends meet. He uses bones, tree barks, animal horns, old carpets, plastics, and soil amongst the many to produce souvenirs and utensils that we as trash loathers use on a daily basis. His artefacts include wooden cutlery, ear rings, wrist bands, racks, and many more. "If I don't have it, I will make it for you," says Villander. He says that customers come first when it comes to business. "Most of the time, I get customer's advising me on how to make my products, and I do not find that offensive. Some of them go to the extent of coming with replicas of things they would like me to design," he said.
His customers, he says are mostly white tourists who are always more than willing to pay a handsome price for his products. The problem with locals is that they do not like paying and also like 'sekoloto' (owing) which he says hinders the business.
Villander's love for trash came about at the tender age of 12. As a lad, he would watch his grandfather produce beautiful artefacts, which he sold to tourists who used to visit his home village, Tsabong.
He then started off by making wire cars which he sold to his friends and interested parents in the village. As he grew up, he started experimenting with other materials and realized that he too could be like his grandfather. With the motivation from his parents Villander focused more on improving his talent which eventually led him to become a fully fledged professional that he is today.
Villander is currently doing his second year in Carpentry at the Lobatse Brigade Centre. He says that school has always been his first priority, which is why he never struggles when it comes to balancing schoolwork and business. "I normally use weekdays to do my schoolwork and weekends to focus on my business," he says.
Although a part-time obligation, Villander says that trash is viable as the income he generates is enough to put food on the table, dress him, and also pay his rentals. On a good day he can make up to P250, but on a bad day he says he can leave without a single thebe. He however says that this never discourages him, as he knows that it is part of any business to have both sunny and cloudy days.
At the moment, he is hoping to get a grant from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to expand his business once he completes schooling. He says that he wants to build an establishment where his artefacts will be manufactured and sold. "I also want to use the money to improve the lives of other Batswana as I'll start off by having two employees and engage more as the business grows," he said.
Villander however urged the youth to develop a culture of doing things for themselves as there is a high unemployment rate rampaging the country at the moment. "Most youth depend on the government for handouts but the truth is the government cannot accommodate all of us," he said. He says that the economic crisis does not make the situation any better and thus the youth could help reinvigorate the country's economy if more goods and services were produced locally instead of the government having to spend large amounts of money importing them from outside. "As future leaders, we have to stand up and develop our lives and talents whist there's still time because we are not getting any younger," he said.
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