BEADED RUGBY BALL DRAWS ATTENTION
Crafter creates beaded rugby ball for Test
Ezibeleni crafter Mvuzo Ntlantsana of Mawawa Creations was chosen to develop a handcrafted rugby ball as a token of appreciation to the Australian Rugby Union, given at the Wallabies-Springboks match in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Ntlantsana had developed the wire frame of the ball while ECDC creative industries sector specialist Yandiswa Sodaba from East London designed the beadwork and embroidery.
Ntlantsana said making the wirework was a huge challenge. “I had to do it three times before it was perfect.”
He said being selected to design the ball was a reward off for his hard work, which was now gaining recognition.
“I started crafting in 2006. I did not study art at school. Crafting was a skill I learnt from my father who used to do handwork. After some time I did a few short courses. I place my work at the Chris Hani craft hub, in Cradock and Graaff-Reinet and I attend the Arts Festival in Grahamstown.”
The Boks-Wallabies match, which was played in honour of the late Nelson Mandela, took place at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The rugby ball was covered in hand-crafted beadwork and embroidery which showcased the South African and Australian flags, accompanied by a quote from Mandela.
The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) also placed a pop-up shop at the stadium, showcasing the work of 15 crafters under the Eastern Cape Craft Collection banner.
The opportunity arose after the ECDC approached the Eastern Province Rugby Union with a view to supporting sporting events in the province as a way of boosting sports tourism and the economic spin-offs such events generated.
ECDC senior manager for trade promotion Phakamisa George said, “The idea is to ensure that whenever sporting events take place in the Eastern Cape, a token of appreciation will be produced by local entrepreneurs, giving them exposure for their products on an international stage.”
George said the ECDC identified sports tourism and the hosting of events as a strategy to stimulate economic growth and revenue generation for Eastern Cape companies.
The ECDC has requested an allocation of funding from government to co-fund selected sports, cultural, heritage and music events that have an international profile, national or regional following.
“The development agency has already identified six events for support between September 2018 and December 2019. The ECDC has completed a benchmarking exercise where an economic analysis of events hosted by Cape Town and Durban indicate that the hosting of events is a multi-billion rand industry.”
George said the ECDC would enter into a working partnership in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, working closely with municipalities to package and organise such events on behalf of the Eastern Cape province.
“I had to do the wirework three times before it was perfect” - Ntlantsana