Art and craft: The hidden gold mine

Growing up in a traditional African home and going to school that provided education that embodied handwork - inspired by a rich untamed Africa - always fascinated me. 
Seeing people, especially women, create plenty of amazing handworks such as baskets, mats and hats, left a lasting memory of their beauty. Later on in life, I realised the economic potential this less-emphasised hobby has.

Weaving has always been presented as a thing for women and girls. And given my desire to create a long lasting impact, I saw an opportunity in it. Today, baskets have evolved into an icon of African art and craft. They have grown from basic home use to commercial echelons. Baskets are now top class traditional dishes in affluent hotels and homes. 
But what is this charming basket? Call it the African Basket – a basket generically is a container used to hold or carry things typically made from interwoven materials like strips of cane, wires or plastic. They have turned into lucrative business with enormous potential to be an economic game changer in Uganda. 

Economically, baskets are on the rise today, stimulating a great deal of keen interest from entrepreneurs, traders and investors across board due to the constantly increasing demand at international markets. 
Communities in the Rwenzori region, the biggest basket producers in Uganda, can attest to this. Women have been empowered through diverse opportunities presented to weaving groups. Raw material extractors, weavers, mixers, designers, transporters, marketers and trainers have all gained employment from this charm. 
Baskets are slowly but surely changing the narrative of household income generation and livelihoods improvement.

Before Covid-19 disrupted the economy, Rwenzori region alone exported more than $650,000 worth of baskets in 2019, while employing more than 3,000 individuals through social enterprises such as Tooro Gallery, Rwenzori Sustainable Trade Centre (RSTC), and other organised groups and associations in Rubona and on the slopes of Rwenzori mountains. 
Other notable basket producers are in Bwindi, Ankole, Lango and central regions. While these statistics sound impressive, it is below the full potential of the basket industry in Uganda given that those results are achieved painstakingly without the full support and privileges other sectors enjoy.

For example, if key economic stakeholders recognised the social economic impact of baskets and accorded it full attention and authority alongside other arts and crafts to become a fully-fledged industry, returns would be immense, significantly contributing to the country’s annual GDP and per capita income. 
What makes this industry a gold mine is the availability of raw materials provided affordably by nature, especially on the countryside, and the unlimited numbers it can employ irrespective of education levels and social status. 

The industry is inspired by our rich cultural heritage and affinity to art and innovation as Africans, which forms part of our lifestyle. Baskets are one of our most unique and industrious possessions that have been passed on from generations, now perched at a time with the capacity to create massive social economic transformation in societies and the economy as a whole.   
The future of baskets is brightened by opportunities in creation of art and craft centres and markets across the country. It is also helped by re-emergence and love for vocational training and, art and craft works, growth of tourism which boosts demand for baskets as décor, souvenirs and general merchandise.

With government intervention to invest and promote the art and crafts sector, emergence of more valuable basket markets, improved skills in marketing, accounting, sales, statistics and record keeping to help track growth and curtail bottlenecks, the industry will likely grow four-fold in the next five to 10 years. 

The author, Ms Annet K. Kalinzi is the Director of Tooro Gallery and the Special Presidential Assistant, African Arts and Crafts