The development of a new sewing co-operative for Tshulu Trust in HaMakuya, Limpopo Province, through arts-based training interventions

M.Tech. (Fine Art)The aim is to develop a sustainable sewing co-operative for Tshulu Trust, located in the Domboni village in the rural chieftaincy of HaMakuya, north-eastern Limpopo Province, South Africa. The development of the new sewing co-operative aims to address the extreme unemployment in HaMakuya, which is one of the main causes of poverty in the area. It is also a response to one of the primary objectives of Tshulu Trust, which is to create employment. The research study addresses the extent to which arts-based training interventions might ensure the sustainability of the new sewing co-operative. This study is a Participatory Action Research (PAR) training intervention that is Freirean in approach. I draw on the principles of Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of the oppressed (1995, 2008) to provide the theoretical framework that underpins the training envisaged in this study. Methodologically, this project and study involves four action research cycles with newlyrecruited members of the sewing co-operative. There is a final cycle which is my own selfreflexive cycle at the conclusion of the development project in HaMakuya. The cycles implemented with the members involve arts-based training approaches in design manufacture and embellishment, business training, and marketing of fashion and homeware products. In addition there is also training for enterprise development within the action cycles. Critical monitoring and reflection take place at the end of each cycle to inform action plans for the next cycles. The cycles of the development project end with a public showcase of the products manufactured and modeled by the participants. For my own self-reflections, I design and prototype my own designs for a fashion range inspired by my experience in HaMakuya. These prototypes as well as the products manufactured by the participants are included in a catalogue that supports this dissertation