Unique Xhosa bowls are a global hit

The proud Xhosa women in their colourful ethnic wear standing in a circle holding hands with babies on their backs have become the signature product of Zizamele Ceramics. Known as the Bambanani Bowl (which roughly translated means the friendship bowl), it has been adapted over the years as trends and styles have changed but its essence remains, says Zizamele Ceramics owner Toni Spiller Burton. “The piece best represents the Zizamele work and in fact our community work ethic as symbolised by the women holding hands.” It is a hive of activity at the Zizamele factory situated in the southern Peninsula in Cape Town. Women are chatting quietly among themselves, their hands moulding the clay and producing a proudly Western Cape product sought after by some of the world’s most high-end shops and galleries. The team is in full-scale production following the Christmas season, says Spiller Burton as she shows off the latest new designs. “Every one of our ceramics is a one-off. They truly are unique and will never be repeated, which is why our work could arguably be classified as more fine art than craft,” she says. “And each piece is signed and dated as well.” They are showcased and sold across the globe from the United States to Russia and Japan. “We have several stockists locally but the ceramics are especially popular abroad. They represent Africa in a very unique way,” says Spiller Burton. The idea for the business was born out of a job creation project initiated by the Noordhoek campus of False Bay College in Cape Town some years ago. A selection of the learners in the programme came together with Spiller Burton and founded Zizamele, which means “to develop” in isiXhosa. “The decision to start exporting came about unintentionally when we were asked to produce 300 pieces for a store in the US. We were completely overwhelmed but decided to give it a go, not quite sure how we were going to deliver 300 pieces of unique hand-crafted pottery to America,” recalls Spiller Burton. The best, however, was yet to come as they were informed several days later that the order had in fact increased to 1200 pieces. “We learnt so much through that one single order from production to packaging to export. We truly were thrown into the deep-end but we made it.” The rest as they say is history. Today they manufacture large quantities of pottery without blinking an eye and exports seldom pose a challenge, although the same can’t be said for packaging. “We have to be extremely cautious as our product is fragile. We not only have custom-designed boxes in which the pottery fits, but we also go to great lengths to wrap and protect the pieces. CAPTION The Bambanani Bowls ... every one unique.