In the mountainous kingdom of Swaziland, a former pre-school helper is turning trash to treasure.
On a sunny afternoon in May, Swaziland entrepreneur Lungile Beuta sets up her stall in the swaying sugarcane fields of Malkerns, a sleepy town with a magnificent view of the mountains in the landlocked country now known as ‘the Kingdom of eSwatini’.
May is also when the annual Bushfire Festival brings together thousands of music-lovers from around the world to this little strip of land for a cultural bonanza.
Beuta’s stall selling curious accessories is set up in a busy corner of the marketplace.
A banner fronting her stall created out of used paper packets screams out the name of her business, ‘ban-twa-na’, meaning ‘children’ in siSwati.
Around her are heaps of empty packets and wrappers of chips, snacks and sweets. It’s a riot of plastic and color at first glance, but passers-by soon realize this isn’t just meaningless rubbish, but everything from arty purses to pencil cases to handbags made out of them.
“For me, there’s nothing more that brings joy than making these products,” says Beuta.
The 43-year-old grew up in Mbabane, the mountainous capital city of Swaziland.
After high school, she wanted to study design. Her parents sent her to Technikon Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she pursued a diploma in fashion design.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2018 من Forbes Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2018 من Forbes Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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