Together, two generations of women create an entrepreneurial model
As a unique business model of supporting women to support themselves and their families, the cooperative has sustained two generations of rural South African women. In the studio are the “mamas” and the “gogos.” Any child knows the difference and names individuals accordingly: Mama Angy, Gogo Regina. The younger women wear pants; the older women wear skirts. The younger women opt for wigs when having a “bad hair day,” whereas the older women always cover their heads, as their cultural upbringing requires.
The younger women came to the Mapusha studio in 2003 through an apprentice program set up by the American volunteer Judy Miller. They are the future of the cooperative and have learned well from the older women. However, they did not grow up with the same strict cultural traditions, and their education suffered during the apartheid regime. In general, their fathers were away, working in the cities, for weeks at a time.
What both generations of women know about is cooperation. The cooperative’s name itself reflects the unique joining of Mapulaneng Sotho and Shangaan women, a successful reality of more than 34 years; today the collaboration is between the mamas and the gogos, two generations working together to support their families and their communities.
Anna Mduli
Regina Hlabane
Lindah Molimo
Angy Dibarwano
Gertrude Mbetsi
Wonder MbetsiClick on the portraits to read the stories of the Mapusha weavers.
Click here to see more images of the artisans.
Click on the portraits to the left to read the stories of the Mapusha weavers.
