In the quiet village of Hukuntsi, the sound of carving and shaping timber tells the story of 33-year-old craftsman, Lekanyang Tselanyane, who despite being unemployed, is steadily turning raw material into handcrafted household and decorative pieces that are quietly finding their place in the local market.

Tselanyane’s interest in art started with drawing and painting before he later ventured into woodwork around 2020.

In an interview, he disclosed that the skill was self-taught, noting that he believed that if he could draw and paint, he could also create designs using wood.

He added that he was inspired by his passion for doing things that were not commonly seen and applied unique techniques in his woodwork to make his products stand out from others on the market.

Tselanyane said he manufactured a variety of products, including chairs, tables, mortars and pestles, shields, lamps and walking sticks.

 He uses different types of wood depending on the design and purpose of the product he intends to create and in some cases incorporates materials such as horns and leather to enhance the aesthetics of his pieces.

Tselanyane does not take custom orders as he feels that it becomes difficult to produce quality work when under pressure to meet specific deadlines.

 Instead, he focuses on making readily available products so that he can take his time to ensure quality and creativity in each piece.

 He said his designs came naturally because as an artist, one did not always talk but expressed thoughts through creation.

Tselanyane said his work reflected emotions, especially pieces that included writing, which he used to communicate deeper meaning through his craft.

 He also highlighted that he applied different techniques in his work, including writing and burning on wood, to enhance the artistic value and finish of his products.

He added that the work did not take much of his time, as he was able to produce several items in a single day.

His customer base is mostly made up of elderly people, who are more likely to own homes and require household items.

He said among the most frequently purchased products were mortars and pestles; which he ensured were always available to meet customer demand whenever they needed them.

Tselanyane sells his products from home and also markets them through Facebook, where he reaches a wider audience.

Mr Tselanyane cited lack of machinery among his main challenges, attributing to the problem his inability to produce larger quantities and a wider range of products. 

He said this affected his production capacity as he was unable to scale up his work to meet higher demand. He added that the machinery he required was not readily available locally, forcing him to travel to Gaborone in search of equipment, which was also not always easy to find.

However, he said when the machines were unavailable, he uses alternative tools at home to ensure that production continued.

As another way of marketing his work, Tselanyane attends exhibitions and shows, which give people from different areas an opportunity to view his work and learn about his business. He also gets opportunities to decorate at weddings, which he uses as another way of advertising his craft and attracting potential customers.

He noted that he received support from the Kgalagadi North District Council, which sometimes purchased his items as gifts for official use or for presenting to individuals on special occasions, further contributing to his sales and exposure.

Tselanyane said Kabakae Village Development Committee (VDC) once purchased some of his products to decorate their guesthouse, an opportunity that further exposed his work and added to his growing customer base. He said the elderly often get to see his work whenever people had converged at the kgotla, which also helped him reach more local customers.

Tselanyane said he had grown significantly when comparing his earlier work to his current output, noting that some of the things he was now able to produce were once beyond his imagination.

 He said through his business he was able to cover some of his basic life expenses despite being unemployed. He added that he believed in future he would be working with other people, with production expanding to a larger scale. ENDS