‘Basket Case’ makes difference

 Later on it was used to describe any failing institution or scheme. Zimbos tend to feel uncomfortable when this term is bandied around, largely because the media has been describing Zimbabwe as a basket case for the last ten years.
On receiving an invitation from the Alliance Francaise to attend the opening of an exhibition at the National Gallery entitled Basket Case, I was astonished by the audacity of the title and wondered what would be revealed. Before long it became clear that this exhibition had nothing to do with failure, and everything to do with endeavour, achievement and beauty. Basket Case showcases traditional Zimbabwean weaving skills handed down over the generations from mother to daughter; it also offers the public an exciting range of contemporary products designed to add style to home décor.
This exhibition is the culmination of workshops organised by South African entrepreneurs, Binky Newman and Frances Potter, and held in remote areas of Zimbabwe such as Binga and Lupane. Funded by the Ford Foundation, Binky and Frances drove across the border at Beit Bridge exactly two years ago, and made their way to the Binga Craft Centre, a six hour drive into the north western regions. These two unusual women, the modern day equivalent of the Heavenly Twins, bright stars in the sky who in Elizabethan times protected voyagers at sea, were determined to uplift the lives of villagers who, following the demise of tourism, were trying to eke out a living selling tomatoes.
Within two short months, basket-making workshops to improve quality and design were underway, and many women were able to revive their weaving skills. Frances and Binky’s company, The New Basket Workshop (TNBW), was also able to give the weavers advice on how to price and market their products.
Last year, with the assistance of the Alliance Francaise and its director, Charles Houdart, the first basket exhibition took place in Bulawayo. It was only a matter of time before a similar exhibition would be on display at the National Gallery in Harare. Such is the skill involved in weaving and designing basket ware, that this is now considered to be an art rather than a craft.
Bulawayo-born Heath Nash, who graduated in 1999 from the Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town, was invited to curate the ‘Basket Case’ in Harare. Having been employed by TNBW as a designer at workshops with groups of women weavers from Binga and Bulawayo in 2009, Nash already had a feel for this particular type of artwork.
At the entrance to the gallery, Nash has mounted a brief history of the basket-weaving project. He shows how he introduced his ideas of space, design and framework to the weavers and how these were used to make strikingly unusual woven products.
In the Courtauld Gallery an impressive display of traditional work from the gallery’s permanent collection contrasts with the contemporary porcupine waste paper bins and large woven baskets that have been inspired by TNBW.
Upstairs in the East Gallery, Nash has arranged an eclectic display of baskets on top of varied essential commodities. Narrow-necked baskets, some bulbous, others elongated and tapering, are grouped above pyramids of green, blue and brown bar soap. Graceful baskets from Binga, similar in appearance to clay pots, nestled together on the tops of a stash of 10kg bags of mealie meal. Low round tables and chairs, covered in ilala palm fronds woven into beautiful Tonga designs, allow art lovers to sit down and relax while admiring the exhibits.
Continue on and penetrate the darkened area of the North Gallery to discover Heath Nash’s piece de resistance — a magical glowing forest of natural woven ilala lampshades. Hanging at different lengths, the tassels brush against your face and hands, almost like ancestral spirits warning that you have entered a sacred place. Hay bales made from recycled paper and plastic provide comfortable seating from which to admire and contemplate the artwork.
Craft centres and community-based projects in Zimbabwe’s more remote areas have begun to benefit dramatically from TNBW’s workshops. In addition the response to Heath Nash’s claim “design makes a difference” has inspired an exciting range of contemporary products, much in demand for export to Europe and America.
The Heavenly Twins have not yet concluded their journeying around Zimbabwe. The next port of call could be Chiredzi, Chipinge or even Nyamaropa. And once enough communities here are up and weaving once again, chances are they will set the SatNav on their vehicle to the east, and head for Mozambique.