VIRTUAL Barcelona

Abstract

This study explores how artisans in Ngamiland art and craft co-operatives in northern Botswana draw on indigenous knowledge to materialise stories through their craftwork. Their work is situated, authentic, and rooted in the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Botswana. However, cultural tourism is a strategic growth sector for the country. This raises the question of how the working knowledge inherent in the basket making can be preserved to ensure the authenticity of the product within a more complex and dispersed organisational structure. By drawing on approaches from the field of literacy as social practice, the researchers are exploring the knowledge resources of these indigenous artisans and the ways in which they work both independently and with others to produce the designs, or texts, that are woven into their craftwork. The study takes a linguistic ethnographic ‘perspective’ to data collection (Copland & Creese, 2015; Green & Bloome, 2004). This is because the research draws from encounters that have been formally scheduled. The research methods comprise in-depth unstructured qualitative interviews with the participants as they engage with the literacy event of making crafts that materialise traditional stories. The interviews explore how these literacy practices are situated, collaborative and shared, and the challenges the artisans face in preserving their cultural heritage for future generations. The purpose of the research project is to make recommendations to help protect the authenticity of the setting and document the transfer of indigenous knowledge for future generations.