Taunina Telegraph

Overcoming life’s challenges… graciously

If you were to observe Taunina’s talented artists, happily working and chatting away in our beautiful studio, you might be surprised to hear how many hardships they had to overcome in the journey that brought them here. In fact, many still face several challenges on a daily basis.

Of our ten artists, only one, Nomgcobo is from South Africa. Eight are from Zimbabwe and Giselle is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Life in Zimbabwe over the past decade has been very tough due to a combination of drought, the spreading of HIV/Aids, imprudent economic policies and political instability. A lack of faith in Zimbabwe’s ability to manage its financial affairs saw the value of the Zimbabwe Dollar plummet and hyperinflation became the order of the day. By the late nineties the Zimbabwe government issued a 100 Trillion Zimbabwe dollar bill, and a loaf of bread cost Z$300.

The effect of such a radically unstable economic situation affected all Taunina’s Zimbabwean artists. Beauty, for example, used to make a living by trading between South Africa and Zimbabwe. She would sell handcrafted Zimbabwean goods such as crochet-ware and traditional hadenga embroidery in South Africa; and with the money she earned, she would purchase hard-to-come-by items such as soap, blankets and clothing which she sold in Zimbabwe. But the unpredictability of the Zimbabwe dollar exchange rate and hyperinflation made Beauty’s little business unviable and she decided to come to South Africa to seek a living.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has endured a devastating war that saw an estimated 5.4 million people die since 1998. Although many died in the line of fire, many more died from preventable illnesses such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition. Even though a peace accord was signed in 2003, fighting continues in certain regions in the country to this day. The Eastern part of the country is widely considered to have highest prevalence of sexual violence and rape in the world.

Unbelievably, in spite of being one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources and minerals, the DRC is currently ranked the poorest country in the world according to both the IMF and the World Bank. Zimbabwe, once called the breadbasket of Southern Africa, is ranked third poorest, with unemployment rates estimated at 97% in 2009.

So it is not surprising that Patience, Beauty, Ntombizodwa, Rudo, Ennia, Mercy, Juliet Kudzika, Juliet Mutasa and Giselle decided to make South Africa, a country that offers many more opportunities to hard workers, their new home.

Most of Taunina’s artists who hail from Zimbabwe decided to leave their children with relatives in Zimbabwe when they came to South Africa. On average they return home and see their children every second year – once a year if they are lucky. For the rest of the year they have to be contented with a regular phone call home, which is mercifully not very expensive.

With the money they earn they are able to support their children and also extended families, many of whom are unemployed.

Like any mother, securing her children’s future through the best education possible is every Taunina artist’s first priority. The regular and dependable salary that they now earn enables them to make financial commitments that will benefit their children’s education. Mercy recently moved her two children, Andrew (9) and Nelia (7) from the local village school in Kwekwe to a better school in the nearest town. Even though it costs more and she also has to budget extra for the transport, it has been a good move, as they are already doing much better academically. Others, like Ennia, are paying for extra lessons in subjects that their children need some help with.

When you purchase a Taunina product, you not only make a significant difference in the lives of our talented artists and their families, but you also become a member of the World of Taunina, where you will receive regular updates of what is happening in the life of the artist you have supported.