African Inspired Handmade Dolls And Other Products

The Karoo in Africa is a semi-desert region that encompasses some of the most historically impoverished rural areas of the country. The Karoo is brimming with unrecognised economic potential, such as alternative power opportunities, tourism and craft development. In the Northern Cape of South Africa, these are descendants of the Bushmen and Hottentot people who have started creating African inspired handmade dolls and other products. There dolls take their inspiration from the Xhosa tribes and are call uNopopi which means doll in Xhosa.

Handmade dolls are an inspirational idea from the Xhosa people

The people of the Xhosa Tribe of South Africa have a very rich cultural heritage and have played an important part in the development of South Africa. During the seventeenth century they started their gradual migration movement which led thousands of the Xhosa people from southern Zaire in various directions to cover most of Africa south of the Sahara. One of the tribes who took part in this migration was the Xhosa, descendant from a clan of the Nguni.

The creation of the uNopopi dolls product is modern but has traditional references. It is a very cute and cuddlesome toy, yet crafted beautifully with movable limbs and sculpted, painted features. It is packaged in a drawstring bag which is simple and chic. The uNopopi dolls offer black children of South Africa the chance to re-connect with their natural heritage and children from all the other different racial groups the chance to learn tolerance and respect for racial diversity. The dolls represent real people in the imagination of a young person and so the hand crafted dolls have a chance to change a whole generation. These African women that are hand crafting the Unopopi dolls are well paid and their work environment is comfortable and safe. The dolls are handmade, using local fabrics.

Dolls keep the traditions and cultures alive

These descendents of the Bushmen and Hottentot people are now working as a co-operative; they are selling African inspired handmade dolls and other African arts and crafts which are sold as beautiful gift ideas for tourists from across the globe. As the demand for their product grows, they train other women who become members of the co-operative. The co-operative makes its own decisions about how to organise the members, work, income and profit. Each doll-making co-operative consists of women who do not need any qualifications or previous experience to join.

Beadwork and other handcrafted items tell the story of a rich history

Traditional arts and crafts of the Xhosa people include pottery, weaving and beadwork. Traditional handmade musical instruments include drums, mouth harps, stringed-instruments, rattles, flutes and whistles. Xhosa beadwork, like all African art, is steeped in rich symbolism and meaning. It has a rich and colourful history and has faced extinction with the encroachment and interference of the civilised, western, Christian world. But fortunately it has survived over the centuries and is still practiced by pockets of women in some regions of South Africa, to keep African tradition alive with their African inspired handmade dolls and other products as well as to keep food on the table.

African Inspired Handmade Dolls And Other Products | Articles | Mjita Cushions and Pillows