- Foreign national business owners in Langa, including Patricia Malgas and Isaac Phiri, create and sell handmade crafts, relying on tourist and local sales.
- Malgas, a 60-year-old artisan, learned handwork skills through the non-profit organization Just Grace and now supports her family.
- Vendors face difficulties, including winter rains and locals undervaluing their art, but remain dedicated to their craft.
Life is difficult these days, so you need to have skills and not rely on the government all the time.
Those are the words of the business owners, predominantly foreign nationals, creating and selling handwork opposite Langa Dompas Museum.
One of the business owners, Patricia Malgas said selling the handwork is the only thing they can do to survive.
She said for nearly three years, she has been selling her artistic material in the area. Malgas, who is selling handmade beads, bangles, earrings, bags, bowls, key holders, etc said the circumstances had compelled her to sit there daily.
“Before I came here, I had a small stall selling sweets and fruit near the Shoprite store in Langa for almost four years. That was all I was doing to pay rent for the house,” she said.
The 60-year-old woman stays with her daughter and granddaughter. They all depend on her as no one is working in their home.
She said in 2022, she heard about Just Grace, a non-profit organisation (NPO) that taught people handwork at Langa High School and joined it.
Malgas said since then, she never looked back. She started creating her items and sold them.
“I heard about Just Grace NPO through a friend of mine and I joined it. It was a two-month course. When I started, I was blank. I knew nothing about art. We were taught how to do handwork using all recyclable materials. Some of the things that I’m selling I made myself,” she explained.
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Malgas stated that the majority of people take the art for granted. She stated that there is a lot that needs to be done to educate black communities about the importance of art.
“Most of our customers are tourists. We do have local customers but they are not many as tourists. And they (local customers) are always complaining about the prices, sometimes demanding a discount all the time,” she complained, adding that the locals don’t know the effort they put into creating some of the items.
However, she stated that some of the challenges that they are going through are not having water, temporary toilets or shelter, especially when it is raining. She said they are struggling a lot during the winter rains.
“We would be pleased if we could have temporary toilets and water for now so that we can stop bothering the nearby residents for everything,” she said.
Another business owner, Isaac Phiri is selling Christmas trees, key holders, bangles, eye rings etc. He said he enjoyed doing his job.
“To be an artist you need to be dedicated and patient. If you need quick money please don’t come here. Some of the stuff that I’m selling I do here because I want people to see what I am doing,” said Phiri. He said being a vendor taught him resilience and communication skills.
