26 Feb 2019

Threading through a drilled small hole in a bead may seem laborious and time consuming, but for talented 44-year-old Renolda Seloiso, a beadwork artist from Makakatlela in Mochudi, the job is driven by passion.

 For the better part of her life, Seloiso has watched her mother’s enduring commitment to the art and craft of beadwork and got motivated to get into the same line of work after a long time.

“I only became interested and decided to learn from her after a long time and this was when I produced one or two products,” she said. She said she never took it seriously until 2016 when she applied for funding from government’s Poverty Eradication Programme. She was funded to the tune of P3 200 including being given two tables, chairs, dibaga and needles to start the business.

She said today she was trying to penetrate the beadwork industry with her unique designs. Seloiso said she designed objects such as bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings. “I work with other beadwork artists as they help me whenever I struggle,” she said, adding that she buys the beads in South Africa at a much cheaper price.

“Whenever I see jewellry made out of different materials, I redesign it using beads,” she said, adding that magazines were a great source of inspiration to identify key trends and styles.

She said she marketed her products at social gatherings such as weddings, parties and funerals.  “Most of my jewellry is made for women. I only design for men if they place orders,” said Seloiso, adding that men’s jewellry was not difficult to make compared to women’s.

Every artist has a recognisable style, but Seloiso said she mostly used a few colours and blends in other colours to create variety. She revealed that the simplest products took three hours to make, while the more complicated ones may take up to three days.

Seloiso indicated that she has adopted some of her designs from South Africa to show that Batswana also have potential.  “I do have plans to create employment and see my business penetrating the international market,” she said. ENDS