07 Oct 2018

Nhabe Museum is constructing a P600 000 crafts facilities that will cater for artisans and buyers especially tourists.

The project, which is supported by The Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), would  benefit crafts people from four areas of Shakawe, Gumare, Etsha 6 and Shorobe in the North West District.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the facilities at Nhabe Museum on Friday, KAZA liaison officer for Botswana, Chilule Mlazie said the project was a realisation of a dialogue between Nhabe Museum Trust and KAZAsince 2016

Mlazie said the objective was to ensure that the tourists, who visited the Ngamiland district in large numbers, buy crafts from local communities.

“The vision is to bring together all crafts into a central place for tourists to appreciate when in Maun en route to their destinations such as Makgadikgadi and Okavango Delta,” he said.

He observed that the craft place as a cultural tourism centre, augured well with KAZA’s mandate of enhancing livelihoods of rural people.

He said about 1 500 people from the four villages would benefit from the crafts shop as well as Nhabe Museum, Okavango Artists Association and Poetavango poetry movement.

Nhabe Museum chairperson Tshematshe Monwela said the craft market would house artisans such as weavers, carpenters and others to promote Nhabe Museum.

He said the craft markets would generate income for the crafts people therefore improve their lives. 

Monwela observed that people in the wildlife rich areas as Ngamiland were hard hit by poverty adding that the project was worthwhile. 

Monwela further said the Nhabe Museum desired to develop some historical sites found in Maun.

He cited some caves found by the Old Maun General Hospital, which served as refrigerators for medicine and also used as a mortuary as one the sites to be developed.

Monwela also said the Old Bridge in Matlapana  and Motsaudi tree by Tlhamalakane Primary School were areas that had been earmarked as part of tourism development areas in Maun. 

Therefore, he said they would appreciate more financial support from KAZA and other organisations to attain their dreams. 

Mlazie said KAZA promoted cultural heritage adding that they were in the process of sponsoring the rehabilitation of the old Maun Bridge.

He said the old bridge rehabilitation project had experienced delay in the past few years as it was underbudgeted.

Mlazie also said another KAZA cycle of supporting projects would start from January next year, which gave potential recipients an opportunity to sought sponsorship. ENDS