By Matṧeliso Phulane
‘MAIPATO’ – The Faceless Wool Community is more than just an art exhibition.
It is a dedicated effort to raise awareness about the challenges in the wool and mohair industry. The exhibition will kick off on December 3 2023.
Apart from that, the even aims to develop innovative solutions in collaboration with the government, development partners, industry stakeholders, and the general public.
In an interview with theReporter, an artist and curator, Khotso Jaden Maphathe said, “By addressing issues such as the lack of processing facilities, limited access to markets, and regulatory obstacles, we aim to catalyse the growth of this vital industry.
“Apart from that, the main objectives are: to raise awareness on the challenges Lesotho has within the wool and mohair industry; to educate people especially Basotho on the qualities, value and profound uses of wool; and to engage government, organisations, industry stakeholders and the general public in conversation about what the future of this industry can look like for Lesotho and her people,” Maphathe said.
He indicated that as a visual communicator, he always makes sure to create bodies of art that educate, raise awareness and sometimes question the status quo.
Furthermore, as a young man born and raised in Lesotho, he always tries as much as he can to communicate to his fellow people, and when he communicates to the world at large, he always ensures that the conversation is about Lesotho and its people.
Maphathe noted that this is not first exhibition to be hosted in the country, but he wants to believe it is the first that focuses on the growth and development of the local wool and mohair industry.
“Now, with that being said, earlier this year I looked deeper into the wool and mohair industry in Lesotho. I learned about its strengths, weaknesses and what can be improved for a better future.
“Lesotho’s wool and mohair industry plays a significant role in our nation’s agricultural exports and overall economic stability. However, it is facing severe impediments, with the most pressing challenge being the lack of processing facilities within our borders.
“This forces us to export our raw materials to South Africa for processing, resulting in a significant loss of potential revenue and control over our resources, to say the least. From that, project ‘MAIPATO’ The Faceless Wool Community was born,” Maphathe pointed out.
He said so far, they have three artists participating in the exhibition with pieces that will be on display and later auctioned. These are Khotso Maphathe with fine art photography, Lekhotla Makhalanyane with textile art, and Lynor Mahase with wooden frames.
Maphathe cited that of all the challenges he has encountered, raising funds has been the most difficult one.
However, the team has managed to raise enough money to pay for the venue, promotional material, and other factors surrounding the event.
“MAIPATO is not only an event focused on displaying and selling beautiful works of art, it has a strong relation to local wool and mohair. This is why it focuses on raising awareness on where we Basotho fall short in what we do with our wool and mohair, from farming to distribution.
“It also aims to raise awareness on what we can do better in order to add more value to our wool and mohair through informed breeding, processing and creative ways to create products out of our wool and mohair that we can export and attract global markets.
“In simple terms, we are educating through art. The event is also a great opportunity for people who want to network and engage in constructive conversations with people of high magnitude,” he concluded.
