The Kanye native says she developed an interest in crafts at a tender age and that her love for the creative arts continued as she grew older. She told Arts&Culture that this led her to study art at junior secondary school, where she chose it as one of her optional subjects. Despite being good in the subject, she was forced to switch to Development Studies because she did not get along with her strict art teacher. “One day in October 2017 while staying in Jwaneng, I was invited to a workshop focused on Arts and Crafts by the Village Development Committee (VDC) chairperson.
They offered training in basket weaving, pottery, and bead making, and I chose bead making. This community-based training was sponsored by the Debswana Jwaneng Mine and we were trained twice a year by different instructors, learning various techniques. In 2018, we received training from the African Arts Centre in South Africa, which was still sponsored by Debswana,” she said. She further pointed out that as her business grew from selling neckpieces that she made, she expanded to purchasing leather sandals and boots from Kenya, as well as a bale of clothes. Tsima also said she had the idea of running a boutique selling African products but faced challenges during the lockdown in 2020-2021. This led to a loss of customers and income. As a result, she said she had to relocate to her home village to care for her daughter who was attending school. She explained that she chose to venture into arts and crafts because, despite the instability of income, it provides money periodically. Moreover, she said the public reacted positively to her work, even though some associate beads with sangomas and witches.
Speaking of the challenges she faced as an artist, she explained that some Batswana felt that the products were too expensive compared to those from South Africa (SA). She added that she sourced her beads from Durban, SA, and Kenya. Despite the high costs of materials, she said clients expect lower prices. In addition, Tsima pointed out that apart from bead making, she also sells homemade ginger and hot chilli sauce to complement the bead income. She added that she believed in perseverance and patience, saying one should never give up on something they love, as it will eventually yield positive results. Tsima said she recently scooped position three at the recent National Arts Festivals regional competitions under the Visual Arts Exhibition category held in Kanye. Ironically, she was competing alongside her daughter, Leeba Tsima, who scooped position one. She said she was grateful for the position as it was a testament of her hard work. She said she could not be happier as it was her first time entering the competition.
