By Nangamso Mabindla
15 December 2004

EASTERN Cape crafters received a major boost when the provincial Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture launched the first provincial Art Expo at the Audio Visual Centre in East London on 14 December.

This joint initiative with Buffalo City Municipality and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation aims to promote crafters locally and overseas. Provincial MEC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Nomsa Jajula, said the intention was to transform crafts into organised businesses.

"We want them to be registered businesses so that they can have networks with local and international businesses," said Jajula. "We need crafters to be under one umbrella. That way we can have a provincial data base of all crafters in the area."

The six-day expo will showcase some of the best crafts in the province. One crafter who stands to benefit from the expo, Nomonde Madlalisa, from Coffee Bay in Transkei, said she was happy the government had decided to assist crafters.

"We will make sure that we do not disappoint. We're going to exhibit some of the best craft work the province can offer," she added.

Madlalisa said craft was big business overseas and she had exhibited in Europe and Asia. "People love our work, but we need to sell it to locals before other people can embrace it."

IDZ board member, Zolile Tini, encouraged crafters to start making big business out of their work.

"I would like to encourage crafters to register with organised business so that we can sell them to our international partners. Let's stop talking about projects and start talking about businesses," said Tini.

Jajula pledged the government's support to local crafters. "We're going to take crafters to the World Expo in Japan early next year. Let's show them what we can do," she concluded.