‘From Huts to Pots’: Matobo women doing the most!

Mthabisi Tshuma

Women from Matobo who have been doing the most with the annual decorations of their homes for the My Beautiful Home competition are taking things to another level as they are now decorating pots.

The Matobo Pot project named “From Huts to Pots” will be launched on Saturday at The Orange Elephant (The River Estate, 12th Avenue Ext) in Bulawayo.

The pots initiative, which came to life last year in December, is a collaboration between the German Embassy and Ekhaya Gaia.

In a statement, the German Embassy in Harare said the project is meant to ensure that the Ndebele culture continues to be preserved.

“With the hope of contributing to the preservation and greater visibility of the stunning Ndebele art form of home decoration, the German Embassy in collaboration with Ekhaya Gaia initiated the pot project in December 2022.

“The joint project includes various workshops to familiarise women from different wards of the rural Matobo area with working with paint brushes and acrylic paints. During the workshops, the artists transfer their unique hut designs onto pots.”

The organisers said each pot is a unique and individual work of art, reflecting the rich and timeless tradition of hut painting.

The aim of the project, organisers said, is to promote the creativity and artistry of the women of Matobo, and subsequently, create greater awareness of the unique art form nationally as well as internationally.

The project is also set to be a way of making the women’s work accessible while establishing a sustainable enterprise designed to improve and uplift their livelihood and that of their families and communities.

At the launch, attendees will witness the decoration of pots by the artists of Matobo while enjoying entertainment from Stango and Nongoma, Drums of Peace, Asante-Mo and Thandoe.

Thereafter, the decorated pots will be available for sale at The Orange Elephant as well as various fairs and markets in Bulawayo, Victoria Falls and Harare soon.

Ekhaya Gaia is a Bulawayo-based non-profitable trust which pioneered the My Beautiful Home Project.

This yearly competition encourages the cultural practice of hut decoration, dating back hundreds of years and established in the Unesco cultural landscape of the Matobo Hills, just outside Bulawayo. – @mthabisi_mthire