Arts and crafts expo lives up to billing

Yeukai Karengezeka-Chisepo Arts Correspondent
The Arts and Crafts Expo, an event that promotes local artistic products held over the weekend in Highlands was a success.

The expo was running under the theme “Supporting the Arts and Culture for Sustainable Development” and was hosted by Kingdom Chamber of Commerce Network.

The event attracted 30 exhibitors who were displaying several things that include crafted hand bags, bracelets, shoes, jewellery, knitted materials, car toys among other things.

The exhibition drew over hundred people majority of them being whites and they bought various goodies from the exhibitors. Event organiser, Albert Chapasuka said he was pleased with the outcome and the support exhibitors got from the private sector.

“I am pleased with the turn out because a lot of people came in to buy the stuff people were displaying. We were also able to help the exhibitors to get assistance from the private sector, particularly Homelink. “It is now easy for them to access loans,” he said.

Chapasuka said the purpose of the expo was to help people that are in the arts industry to get corporate support and even access to grants and loans. “As an organisation, we are there to assist artists by linking them to the international market and the corporate world. We want people that are doing art and craft in our country to flourish,” he said.

Some of the exhibitors highlighted lack of financial support and limited cliental base as their major challenges in the industry. “Most of us do not have enough money to boost our businesses and it is very difficult for us to get loans because the process is long and too complicated. “Most of our customers usually are from the upmarket people but at least we are being able to sustain our families,” said Priscilla Masiiwa

KCCN is a Christian organisation that was formed in 2004 by Chapasuka and it offers trainings on entrepreneurship development. To support this initiative they host trade expos, golf tournaments and arts exhibitions among others.

Recently they hosted similar events in Gwanda, Bulawayo, Chinhoyi, Mabvuku-Tafara and Braeside.

The organisation works in partnership with Evangelical Fellowship Worship of Zimbabwe and Miracle Missions.