Craft and Tourism Excursion

Craft and Tourism Excursion

One section of our sustainability plan recommends ways that the Indlovu Project can tap into the tourism market, both by providing an authentic and memorable experience for visitors and by making and selling crafts.  To see what already exists in Cape Town along these lines, our sponsor, Di Womersley, took us on a tour of various tourist and craft hotspots.

The Old Biscuit Mill

We started the day at the Old Biscuit Mill, a collection of shops, many of which sell very creative African crafts or artwork.  We went on a weekday, but the place is packed every Saturday with temporary craft sellers, turning the whole area into a mixture of an informal trading market and permanent shops.We visited one shop (pictured to the left) with lots of well made original African crafts.  Much of what they sold here was made from recycled material, which is exactly the style of craft the Indlovu Project wants to make.

Water machine for guest amusement at the Old Biscuit Mill

The Old Biscuit Mill succeeded in having a fun and decorated atmosphere.  For example, they had a courtyard with a deep well and a fun water machine (pictured on the right).  It is important to realize that it is not simply the crafts available for sale that makes a successful tourist atmosphere.  We want people to come to the Indlovu Project and be surprised and delighted by what they see around them. Creative and decorative elements like this water machine or murals cast a certain positive glow on the project and the whole visitor experience.

Montebello

A art hut at Montebello

After the Old Biscuit Mill, we went to Montebello, an outdoors art and craft area with a focus on organic living.  The craft and art creators worked in the same areas they sold their goods in, making their crafts seem authentic and even personal. By giving visitors a chance to talk and interact with people behind the crafts, they walk away with not only a physical item, but a memorable experience. This would work particularly well in Monwabisi Park, since the visitors there would also get to experience the actual home and community feeling of the craft-sellers they meet.

Wood carving area at Montebello

Guga S’Thebe

After Montebello, we visited Guga S’Thebe, a little tourist spot in Langa, one of the oldest townships in Cape Town.
At Guga S’Thebe, visitors can pay R 50 (about $7) to get a walking tour of the settlement. They can also purchase crafts, make donations, or see a drumming and marimba performance put on by local kids. The pottery workshop was particularly interesting to us, as it seemed to operate in a similar way that a sewing centre at the Indlovu Project could. At the Guga S’Thebe pottery centre, locals can come and learn how to make pottery that will then be sold to tourists or others.  If their piece is bought, they receive 70% of the profit and the pottery centre takes the other 30%. Over the years, the pottery centre has accumulated enough money to invest in an additional kiln.

Music Room at Guga S'Thebe

They also have a music room, where local kids can participate in marimba or drum lessons. The kids then put on shows for tourists who come by. This is a great example of combining income generation with community benefit. Not only does the centre generate income from tourists that can be put towards helping the community, the very method of bringing in money also doubles as a service to the community. It is this kind of idea that the Indlovu Project most wants to focus on when looking at ways to create revenue.

Langa Medicine Man

Our next destination was a less developed tourist attraction also in Langa.  We parked outside of the work area of a local medicine man, where visitors could pay to visit his place, take pictures with him, and ask him questions.  We found it a very interesting way to make money; one wouldn’t normally think that having a spiritual healer could generate any revenue from the outside, but it is a good idea. To us, it emphasised the importance of thinking creatively and using every element of the project to its fullest potential. The fact that this was an apparently successful operation showed us that visitors are very interested in getting an authentic experience and that they are willing to pay a bit to learn about a culture different than their own. Authenticity will be crucial for the Indlovu Project’s own tourism endeavours.

Outside the medicine man’s work area, there were a number of people selling crafts. The sellers were friendly, and were fun to converse with. It was a very welcoming atmosphere, and one that would be good to reproduce for the Indlovu Project visitors. Friendly interactions between visitors and community members can make the experience a human one, and can help make the Indlovu Project mission seem that much more important.

Overall Impressions

This trip was very informative and inspiring. By seeing a wide array of tourist venues, we gained an appreciation for what is possible and how to go about fostering tourism at the Indlovu Project. Specifically, we saw the following elements as important for a successful visitor experience:

• Authenticity
• One-on-one interactions with locals or craft makers
• High quality crafts
• Colourful, positive decorations

We took into consideration a lot of these ideas and used them as inspiration for our recommendations for the Indlovu Project tourism and craft initiatives.