01/08/2026
It was a beautiful, joyous opening, thank you to all who came! Here's the opening speech by the youth group: "Lubumba Eswatini is our group of unemployed youth from Ezulwini who have finished a 38 day workshop in Design, Sculpture & Ceramics. Our training was sponsored by The Swiss Embassy in Pretoria, Ezulwini Municipality and with Yebo Art Gallery. We applied for the training through the Municipality and had interviews before we were all selected.
The core mandate for this training for us to learn income generating skills by exploring the beautiful world of art and design in sculpture and ceramics and thus forming a business group which would change our lives. Since the economy is tough some of us have been unable to complete our studies due to lack of funds but we are not “drops out” as some would say.
The 6 weeks of the training was very intensive as had to understand design and come up with concepts for our range of products. In the process of learning new skills, discovering hidden talents and creating beautiful products we now understand that every item we make has the potential to reach customers, tell our unique story and contribute to the growth of our local creative economy.
It has been a sudden shift for us, from staying at home doing nothing productive to intensive training but it has all been worth it as we now view ourselves as artisans. The handcraft sector in our country creates products but they sell them too cheap and do not cost their hard work effectively which is why the youth have not been drawn to it. As new young artisans our strong designs and unique stories create contemporary products, and we are bringing something new and vibrant to the market. Design and concept skills are vital as our products tell our own stories.
After the training ends Yebo has offered us incubation space so we can continue having a workshop space. We will have free mentorship every step of the way as we slowly grow our business. Our range of products will be available here and at Yebo’s shops at Ngwenya Glass and Swazi Candles so that tourists can view and buy them.
Each one of our products is a unique creation with many hours of work, truly hand made in Eswatini. They are inspired by ancient and contemporary African designs and by traditional Swazi artefacts mixed with our new unique perspectives. Many artisans in the handcraft sector are told what to design and have no say in it. Lubumba understands the whole process and is involved in every aspect from the concept and design to the production. We are brand new but as we continue working together and create new ranges and improve our skills, we will be an exciting new addition to Eswatini’s creative sector!
We thank our sponsors and trainers for this wonderful opportunity!"
The exhibition runs until mid August.
Switzerland in South Africa Ezulwini Municipality Lubumba Eswatini
