If you, like so many of us, only manage to get to Santa’s shopping list in the last few days before Christmas then hop into your car and make your way down to the African Art Centre’s (AAC) new home in Station Drive! Instead of filling your trolley with bits of plastic, you’ll be able to find beautifully hand crafted items produced by local men and women, who are supported by the non-profit AAC, which offers both a retail space for them to sell their artworks, as well as a variety of training and development programmes to further enhance local skills. So by shopping at the AAC not only will you be supporting a worthwhile cause, but the plethora of treasure on offer (from beaded salad servers to original wooden sculptures) will make you very, very popular on Christmas day!
Also supporting the local arts is the annual KZNSA Buzzart exhibition, which runs until the 14th January 2018. Beautifully curated, this year’s exhibition is a visual explosion, offering everything from brightly coloured handmade sandals, to vibrant wire baskets, and some truly beautiful African fabrics – and that’s just a taster to whet your appetite! Really, it’s a pretty exciting selection that’s on offer this year! You may even be tempted to treat yourself once you’ve taken care of the rest of the family!
And for those of you further up the hill there’s Woza Moya & Friends who have recently launched a new shop. With festive discounts, and a wonderful array of locally produced beadwork, glass and sculpture, you definitely won’t run out of ideas for Christmas gifts! And if you’ve decided that you’d rather ‘go green’ with your gift this year, then why not donate some money to Woza Moya’s Gogetfunding account on behalf of your friends and family – truly a gift that keeps on giving by empowering rural women so that they are able to support themselves and their families, not just at Christmas time, but throughout the year.