Introduction

KURU AND Kuru Craft are development organisations which share the same target group, the San People in Botswana's Kalahari desert. We deal in a great variety of products and this web-site is a co-production between the two organisations. We share part of our target areas, many of our products are the same and we support one another whenever we can.

Please note that all our naturally sourced materials such as eggs and skins are obtained and traded under licenses and permits from the Botswana Government.

Links to art gallery, crafts and game farm

BOTSWANA became independent in 1966 and borders South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. It covers almost 600 000 square kilometres and, although a very dry country, it is rich in minerals. Since the discovery of diamonds in 1967, a considerable improvement in living standards has been achieved. The Botswana economy and population is growing at an enormous rate and the local currency (Pula) is amongst the strongest in Africa There is a sound democratic government which has resulted in a stable socioeconomic situation. Most residents (1,5 million in total) have proper access to shelter, food, education and health care. However, there are large income differences in Botswana. For many people, access to resources and salaried employment is very limited.

Several different tribes inhabit the country. Most of them are concentrated on the more inhabitable Southeastern part. Both the capital, Gaborone, and the second largest urban centre, Francistown, are in this area.

Traditionally, the San people were hunters-gatherers but today most of them work on cattle farms. The potential for crop growing is very limited. Tourism is now being developed and a large part of the country is set aside as game reserves. Many of these, such as the Okavango Delta, Chobe and Gemsbok National Parks and Makgadikgadi Pans are known worldwide. Botswana has chosen to concentrate on low-volume up-market tourism.

THE SAN. The Kalahari region is home to many different tribes. The people in our area are called San (or Basarwa, or Bushmen). In this catalogue they will be referred to as the San. They are one of the oldest indigenous populations in the world, with a known history dating back over 20 000 years, They lived in small family bands as hunters and gatherers in the harsh environment of the Kalahari desert. Oppression, discrimination and dispossession have marked the San people's history.

During the last two centuries, pressure on land from other ethnic groups, farmers, mining companies and conservationists cut off the San from their traditional lands. Visitors have turned into occupants. Today the San live in small groups scattered over different countries in Southern Africa. They can be found as "squatters" near the cities, as labourers settled on the farms of big landowners, or in government-designated settlements.

The San communities stand amongst the most marginalised and impoverished groups of Botswana society. The lack of group organisation, educational services in their own languages and the lack of knowledge about their rights, leaves them in an extremely vulnerable situation. Their political representation is very limited and, as a result, they are hardly visible on the political map of the region.

Out of approximately 50 000 San in Botswana and 33 000 in Namibia, only a handful are still able to hunt and gather on a significant scale. All others lack secure access to vital resources. Production of any type of manufactured goods is problematic because of the lack of skills and the cost of transport in the vast sandfeld of the Kalahari. As a result, many San have become increasingly dependent upon private and government-sponsored aid programmes.

At the same time, we are witnessing a cultural revival of the San people. San artists have achieved world fame working in modern media and vibrant colour, showing something of the mystery and richness of their traditional life and inner world. The number of vocal San organisations fighting for their rights is mushrooming.

The craft range presents some of the traditional crafts that are still produced in many parts of the Kalahari. Game skins, ostrich eggshells, wood, seeds and other materials form the basis of century-old craft production. These craft skills are an integral part of Bushmen culture. At the same time, these crafts show us that an ancient culture is far from disappearing.

THE CRAFTS. We buy the crafts from people who live in small villages in the region. Extension workers go out to the villages on a regular basis, and every week there is an open market where crafts are traded. This way a steady stock is developed for most products. Our buyers pay a fair price for the crafts. We supervise quality, product development, marketing and logistics to wholesale the crafts to retailers.

KURU DEVELOPMENT TRUST Kuru is a rural development organisation with its headquarters in D'Kar, in the western part of Botswana, It is owned and run by the San themselves and is, in its very nature, an indigenous people's organisation. Kuru is committed to fighting poverty and uplifting people in the rural areas, in particular the San.

Kuru has a wide variety of programmes and projects, from traditional income-generation, such as leatherwork and tanning, to silkscreen printing and craft production. Innovative agricultural activities, pre-school and adult education, a remarkable art and cultural programme, all these have their home in the village of D'Kar.

Kuru Craft Kuru Craft was established in 1983 at the initiative of the Production Development Committee who saw the need to improve the life of San communities. The organisation was the first of its kind, promoting craft marketing for the benefit of producers in the remote, rural settlements of Ghanzi.

Kuru Craft promotes the cultural identity of producers and raises public awareness of San culture through the encouragement of production and marketing. Through capacity-building, interventions and awareness building, Kuru Craft seeks to empower San communities to take charge of their own development. Presently about 700 producers in the remote settlements are the principal stakeholders of the project.