31 Aug 2014

The art industry is steadily on the rise and it is no surprise that both government and the corporate world alike have recently taken to investing in art infrastructure to help artists grow and better their trade.

One artist who took advantage of the newly revamped Thapong Visual Arts Centre is Onica Lekuntwane from Lephepe in the Kweneng district with her designs of necklaces and earrings using bottle tops and mesonite board.

Not only is she an amazing artist,Lekuntwane’s art is set to make a difference in the lives of people as she is also looking to use her art to educate. “I am one person who will not do art or a piece because it is just pretty, but rather, I look for prettiness with a purpose,” she said.

Having previously lived in South Africa for the past 15 years working as a graphic and multimedia design educator after finishing her studies, Lekuntwane said she felt that she had to come back to Botswana to uplift women in her community.

“When I started making earrings and necklaces, it was out of boredom because I was missing my friends who had come back home and I did it just to keep myself busy,” she said, adding that people started liking her pieces.

She indicated that upon realising that most people who saw her artworks liked them, she had the conviction of turning her work into an income generating venture.

“I registered my business in 2008 while I was still in South Africa and officially started trading in Botswana this year,” she said. While in South Africa, she said she exhibited her work at the South African Fashion Week and even overseas in Copenhagen and at the World Bank.

“I received a lot of positive feedback and had a lot of clients,” she said. Speaking on her trading name, HomeGirl, Onica said the name came about after she realised that women back in her home village were struggling to make a living for themselves and she wanted to help them hence the name HomeGirl.

On being quizzed on where she got the funding to start off, she indicated that the business was funded from her personal savings and the only funding she sourced was for the training of 25 women she identified in her district.

“I got five women from the five villages of Lephepe, Sojwe, Shadishadi, Boatlaname and Loologane to train them in graphic and multimedia design and so far I have given three out of the 25 an internship of some sort,” she said, adding that the rest have been given life skills and she is hoping to source from that pool once her business takes off.

Before she relocated back home, she used to supply stores in Denmark and Norway. She is proof that passion and hard work are key to realising one’s dream and discarding the fear of venturing into unchartered territory. 

With most people putting financial gain before everything else when operating business, Lekuntwane said she does what she does because of the love she has for creating and it has never been about money. ENDS