28 Aug 2018

After being exposed to different cultures during her tertiary education days, Ms Lorato Bogopa was challenged to learn more about her culture so that she could fit in her new environment. 

Years later, after finishing her masters in industrial and organisational psychology, she co-founded a company called Heritage Bags with Mr Phenyo Seleke, who is an architect and urban designer. 

The business, which operates from LEA incubators in Gaborone, started operating in 2016 after being funded by the Youth Development Fund (YDF) to the tune of P100 000, and has employed four people. 

Ms Bogopa said their bags were a symbol of appreciation for culture and they were inspired by the woven basket. The bags also showcase their innovation as they were modernised. 

“They represent our culture because every household in Botswana has a woven decoration or accessory. We want people to carry their culture on their shoulders instead of being kept in the household,” she said. 

Ms Bogopa said through the collaboration with the elderly women in Ngamiland, they were able to get a reliable supply of woven material, adding that the material was then divided and mixed with leather and accessories to modernise it. 

She said working with Ngamiland women was a way of promoting gender equality and celebrating the elderly women. 

The collaboration also ensured skills transfer from the elderly women to the younger generation. 

Heritage Bags are also environmentally cautious as depicted by their conservation criteria. They harvest Mokolwane in a way that will not make it extinct. 

To make bags, they need sprouts so they cut the tree a little bit in the centre and leave it for three months to grow back. 

The reason for using sprouts is that they can be easily woven and be coloured unlike the grown leaves. Ms Bogopa explained that they have started exporting their bags to Cape Town and were now considering selling to Europe and America. 

They are currently devising ways to gain assistance from Botswana Investment and Trade Centre and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry. 

Since its inception, the company has managed to scoop awards for best accessory in the Women’s Expo awards in 2017, the best environmental conservation at the Youth Expo awards this year and they are currently waiting to hear how they fared in the President’s Day competitions awards. 

Ms Bogopa said their marketing strategy includes the use of Facebook, online store as well as attending expos, adding that they were currently hoping to get a stall at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport so that they could bring their services closer to tourists.

Some of their future plans include raising money for a water purification system in Ngamiland as a way of giving back to the community that supplies them. 

 Ms Bogopa said she would like Botswana Tourism Organisation to help the craft industry sell to tourists so that their souvenirs were a part of their unforgettable vacations. ENDS