Maid In Africa

Kabo Craft is a magnet for creative minds and untrained hands. Minds that draw inspiration from Namibia’s stark environment; its cultures, its spaces of a vast nature and the vibrant cities. (Hands, that shape arts and design out of every material available, from mopane wood and desert sand, to newspaper and beer cans). It is this passion for the land, aesthetics and the people, which you can see in the product that are truly Namibian ranging from papier mache, metal and woodwork, printed fabrics and toys. Located on Krumhuk farm near Windhoek, all products are hand-made by Namibians trained under talented creative eye of Katrin Bockmuhl.

Johanna Shilongo produces all the clothing sold at her stall. The distinctive striped material used for the traditional dresses worn by Namibia’s Owambo women, represent the three different tribes – the Kwanyama, Ndonga and Ngandjera. Traditional the pink colour was obtained by grinding stone, and the fabric is known as Ondelela. Johanna also buys traditional Owambo baskets and wooden utensils and animals from the north of Namibia. Anyone desiring to have a taste of Owambo customs and tradition in their homes, must visit Ondjaba stall.

Rita Bankie, a qualified teacher from Ghana started to explored her innate appreciation for vibrant colour, quality fabrics and established Lord ‘J’ Dyeing House in 1996. With three seamstresses and coupled with a steely determination to present customers at the stall in the Namibia Craft Centre with high quality products, Lord ‘J’ Dyeing House offers an array of fabric-based goods unique and rare in design. In addition to fine kente cloth from the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana, they also stock a variety of hand-painted fabrics, carefully selected by Rita, who utilises her trained eye to identify outstanding talent and workmanship. The fabrics are either sold per piece or value-added with decorations, cut and sewn into dresses for children, utility bags, cushion covers, table runners, tablecloths, potholders, placemats, shirts and apparel for adults. Lord ‘J’ offers a fascinating variety of African fabrics and high-quality, 100% cotton products.

The Kasupi Crafts exclusively retail ‘fashionable’ clothing, jewellery, accessories and selected apparel, like T-shirts, made or decorated by hand, almost entirely originating from the Namibian craft sector. Owner of the stall, Josephine Kasupi, formerly worked for 13 years for the owner of Tomcat, and later became the proud owner and renamed it aptly to Kasupi Crafts. She enjoys providing visitors with an experience of a ‘different’ kind of craft stall. Kasupi offers the adventurous fashionista leather bags made from flawless springbok and zebra hides which follow the design and pattern of mainstream handbags, clutches and shoulder-slings, yet conventional enough to take to the office. Kasupi Craft’s famous leather springbok fur sandals are often available in fashionable colours like bright greens and screaming pinks.