Ugandan crafts form novel business

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 8

Ugandan crafts form novel business

It was an interest in Africa and its people that took Margaret Fursdon, of Invercargill, to Uganda to do aid work.

The wish to keep helping the people she met there has prompted her to start a business in New Zealand importing African artefacts and artworks for sale.

Whether she gets the business off the ground depends on the rather novel feasibility study she has organised this week at the Centre Gallery at the Christchurch Arts Centre. On exhibition and sale from tomorrow are spears, bows and arrows, domestic craftware, head-

dresess, batik works, carvings and stuffed animals. With the exception of the animals, the items were collected by Mrs Fursdon while she was in Africa. Initially they were for her own interest and collection. Many of the spears and gourds were still being used by the people she bought them from. She decided that by selling the items she could create a business from importing them. The animals for the exhibition come from Alan Harrison who had a museum in Queenstown. He was a hunter in Africa many years ago.

Mrs Fursdon added the animals to the exhibition to give it extra colour. “They are for sale also. Mr Harrison has retired from running the museum so he had some animals to sell. They complemented the artworks so I have put them in the show.” If the exhibition sale goes well, Mrs Fursdon plans regular visits to Africa to import items for sale — “but not too often. Every spear it takes two or three months to make and the people still use these things. If I buy a spear the seller has to do without it until he makes a new one-”