Botswana Craft - Gaborone - Botswana

Botswana Craft was established in 1970 by the Botswana Development Corporation to develop the rural based handicraft industry of the country.
The company has grown to be Botswana’s largest retailer and exporter of handicrafts. Privately owned since 1993 the company now directly employs over forty citizens and indirectly creates work for numerous rural craft producers thoughout the country.

Botswanacraft complements locally made products by importing handicrafts from the southern African region and other developing countries.

We are dedicated towards improving the quality of life for rural Batswana and the management and utilisation of our natural resources.
The most famous of all the craft products of Botswana is the basket. As an intergral part of the Botswana agricultural culture, baskets have been made and used traditionally for thousands of years.
Closed baskets with lids are used for storing grain, seeds, and sometimes sorghum beer. Large, open bowl shaped baskets are used by the women for carrying items on their heads and for winnowing grain after it has been threshed. Smaller, plate shaped baskets are used for winnowing grain after it has been pounded.
The main producers of baskets are the women of the Bayei and Hambukushu tribes in northwestern Botswana.
Although baskets are still very much a common sight in rural Botswana, more and more are being produced today for the commercial market.
Expansion and diversity of weaving techniques, designs and the use of colour are encouraged through upgrading courses, annual competitions and exhibitions. Today, the baskets of Botswana are equal to the finest of art forms found in the world.