THOLANI Mchunu is the 37th artist showcasing her work on the Woza Moya Artists’ Wall. Her work is being featured for the month of October to celebrate the country’s heritage and the preservation of it.

The concept behind the Woza Moya Artists’ Wall and Artists’ Cards is to create and showcase the work of artists who have been hard-hit by Covid. Each month, a different artist is paid to paint a 1.2m x 1.2m wall panel which is displayed on the wall outside the Woza Moya Hillcrest AIDS Centre shop.

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Woza Moya is the economic empowerment project of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust and assists the artist by marketing their work for the entire month their work is on display. A greeting card is made of the painted wall panel and sold in their shops so the artists can earn an ongoing passive income. This has worked well with artists earning from R200 to R1 000 a month from the sale of the cards.

The Woza Moya Artists wall would like to thank the 100% Foundation for coming on board for an ongoing sponsorship and making this monthly event

About the artist

“Mchunu makes soft, beaded animal sculptures – she is probably one of a dwindling group of women who make these sculptures.

 

“These animals were quite popular, but the effects of Covid caused orders and sales of these to die off, and the animal makers moved on to more lucrative ways to make money. For example, Phindiwe, another animal maker, said she stopped making the animals when orders for her giraffes dried up, and so she started to work as a domestic worker,” said Woza Moya’s Paula Thomson.

Woza Moya had the privilege of joining Qiniso Dladla and Slie Dube from Woza Moya and Friends for a home visit to Tholani to see where the animals were made and where they came from.

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“Gogo Tholani’s home is in Inchanga. Woza Moya is filming and documenting the making of these unique animals by this really humble and beautiful lady to try to preserve this craft as there are so few crafters making them. Making these animals takes skill and time.”

According to Thomson, the workshop was a great success, and each trainee made three animals and got an order for three more.

A few ladies dropped out as the workshop was a bit too challenging, but most of the delegates persevered, and by their third animal, they were almost perfect.

Shop opening times:

Woza Moya is based at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust, 26 Old Main Road, in Hillcrest, and is open from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00, and from 09:00 to 17:00 at the Woza Moya Windermere Centre. On Saturdays, the HACT shop is open from 08:00 to 14:00 and from 09:00 to 14:00 at Windermere. Woza Moya is the economic empowerment project of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust.

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