School of Crafts in Maputo
We visited the school of traditional crafts here in Maputo last Saturday. It is a small school located behind the Museum of Modern art in Av. Ho Chi Mihn. The students (I saw no female) stay in the school for roughly three months learning specific traditional skills like wood carving, or metalwork or jewlery etc. The school has a small shop where one can buy products made by the students. At least some of the students live on site, probably coming from the wider country since they have dormitories and a communal kitchen in the yard. It was very ispiring to meet some of them (I did not pester them with practical questions about the school) and talk about the materials, where they come from and how they get them to market. Every Saturday morning there is a large crafts market here in Maputo where one can browse and buy. It is interesting that the school is located with the Modern Arts Museum sice that stimulates influences both ways. On Saturday there was a seminar at the back of the Museum. It was a part of a series of meetings of people interested in arts and design, named Z-A Interaction and we met some of them. The visiting organizor Paulo Moreira has been here in Mozambique to visit a school his grandparents were ivolved in establishing in the early 60′s.
The day after we met actually a very nice guy selling his things to tourists on the beach of Macaneta and chatted about how the school is influential in supporting crafts and souvernis industry. It is important to the locals that guests have access to the acutal things produced in the country, also embedded in the local tradition.
June 8, 2009
Posted in: PONDERINGS
