Africa-Press – Botswana. Kenny Kimbini is a Zimbabwean ‘self-taught metal sculpturist’ who is doing a roaring business in Botswana. He said he learnt all he knows about the time-honoured metal carving craft from his grandfather, adding that he now wants to preserve this cultural heritage and access bigger markets from an open space along the Lobatse main road in Gaborone.
In an interview recently, Kenny said he wants to ensure that his skills are carried on to another the next generation.
“I developed the skill from watching my grandfather after school. I would go watch him and with time, I learnt the skill and here am I,” he said
He said he crossed the border from Zimbabwe and moved to Botswana to explore the markets, after realising that his craft was uncommon in Botswana.
Kimbini reveals that the move was a blessing because even though he is trading from an informal marketplace in the town, he is making a killing, adding that when he learnt how to carve metal into useful products and decor items at his grandfather’s knee, he never dreamt of commercializing it, ‘but exposure here changed that and the art is now my lifeline,” he said.
He says his work includes household decorations, birds, animals, flower pots, dry gardening items and even statues of wild animals, which he then sells to local individuals, retail shops, hotels and visiting tourists.
He says he enjoys being an artist and would not trade it for the world, adding that at times, sales are hard to come by, especially that some people do not understand art.
He however, says that the internet is his friend, not only to establish an effective supply chain, but sometimes to get inspiration to come up with new things to do, that usually fit with the times.
He says making sculptures sometimes take time, citing that a sculpture of an ostrich, for instance, could take up to three months as he has to employ small electric-powered machines, to improve primitive sculpturing techniques by hand.
Kimbini said, “Metal carving has transformed my life, which I would not have been able to had I remained back home. I have been able to put my children through school and now, eke out a living”.
He says his work advertises itself as he has put it outside his yard, adding that he hopes to leverage social media platforms to boost business.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
