15 Dec 2016

Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development plays its role of promoting and preserving culture by training individuals in making traditional crafts.

Friday 9th marked an end to a two-week training in clay pot moulding in Molepolole.

The Department of Youth in Molepolole collaborated with clay pot moulding expert, Sephaleko Ditshekiso, who said in an interview that she had wanted to train people who could form a company and produce clay pots.

Ditshekiso said she approached the Department of Youth for help with funds.

It was then that she learnt that they already had the same idea and then asked her to look for those who wouldbe interested in the training.

She said she liaised with the village development committee to spread the message.

She said 15 people showed interest but only 10 remained as others quit due to lack of interest. Ditshekiso explained that the Department of Youth collaborated with her by paying those who laboured to gather and prepare raw materials.

However, she explained the training could have been a month long but due to shortage of funds, they only made it in two weeks. She said they do not use any equipment, but just their hands and cow ribs as in ancient days to shape-up their clay pots, also using plates and bowls.

Forty-eight-year-old trainer, said it had been 20 years since she started moulding at the age of 18 learning from her mother. She said she just practiced it as a hobby but as she saw people buying jer products, she started making it a business, selling to individuals, government offices, crafts shop as well as tourists who would be passing to Khutse Game Reserve through Letlhakeng road.

She said she had a challenge of a place where she could sell her products from and be easily accessed by tourists.

 
Her wish, she said was that government could help her with money so that she could engage into extensive training.

One of the trainees, Malebogo Porogo said she got interested in training for making clay pots, adding that it was  part of tradition.

She said she wanted to help preserve culture.

Besides, Porogo said she wanted to turn it into a business to enable her earn a living from it.

She said she had not experienced any difficulty in learning because she had passion and had managed to make two calabashes.

For his part, sub-district coordinator for Molepolole Administrative Authority in the Department of Youth, Moeti Godisamang said Ditshekiso’s interest of skills transfer in clay pot moulding met the mandate of their ministry of upskilling and also the promotion of creative arts hence they collaborated with her.

Godisamamng said it was the idea of the ministry to ensure creative industry skills do not fade, hence their plan to identify special areas like weaving, and lekgapho and many others, whereby there would be transfer of skills to those interested.

He said they provided the operational cost of P50 000 for the provision of raw materials, transportation and feeding during training. ENDS