By Nangamso Mabindla
8 September 2004

BUFFALO City municipality gave a group of 20 unemployed women crafters a boost when they invited them to exhibit their products to a delegation from the Netherlands who visited the city during the first week of September.

The group, from Leiden, visited Buffalo City to look at its policies when tackling disaster management, HIV/Aids, water management and policing.

At the invitation of Buffalo City's mayor, Sindisile Maclean, the crafters set up their displays at a mayoral dinner held at the East London City Hall.

"Because of the high unemployment rate in the city we thought we would invite them to showcase their skills," Maclean said, adding that their foreign guests were interested in African craft.

A member of the group of Duncan Village crafters who got together in May 2001, Nandi Dlova, said she was happy the City had given them an opportunity to exhibit their work.

"It shows that someone out there does take our work seriously," she said, adding that they also had a chance to exhibit during the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 and were also regular exhibitors at the annual Grahmstown Arts Festival.

The company makes cultural clothes, articles from papier mâchè, and beadwork. "But for this gala dinner, we're only exhibiting our bead work," she said.

The Leiden group, who spent over R3 000 on various beaded items, said they were happy to plough money into local economic development.

Hans Hoodervorst, who owns an African craft shop in Leiden, said he would take the work to his shop. "Even though we sell African craft we do not have South African craft in our shop. We will take these and exhibit them in our little shop in Leiden," he said. "The Dutch love South African work. I want to bring what they love to them."

Dlova, although pleased with the exposure gained at the various exhibitions, was concerned at the lack of funding in the province for developing businesses.

"I hope that the government will start assisting us with money because we are in desperate need of it. If we get it, then we'll be able to plough back by training locals in craft," she said.