The German Embassy in Harare is set to launch the Matobo Pot Project“ (titled „From Huts to Pots“) on Saturday, the 20th of May 2023 at „The Orange  Elephant“ (The River  Estate, 12th Avenue Ext) in Bulawayo. The official launch will allow visitors to witness the decoration of  pots by the artists of Matobo while enjoying entertainment from Stango & Nongoma, Drums  of Peace, Asante-Mo and Thandoe.

With the hope of contributing to the preservation and greater visibility of the stunning  Ndebele art form of home decoration, the German Embassy, in collaboration with „Ekhaya  Gaia“ in Bulawayo, initiated the pot project in December 2022. 

Ekhaya Gaia is a Bulawayo-based non-profitable trust which pioneered the „My Beautiful  Home Project“. This yearly competition encourages the cultural practise of hut decoration,  dating back hundreds of years and established in the UNESCO cultural landscape of the  Matobo Hills, just outside Bulawayo. 

The joint project includes various workshops to familiarise women from different wards of  rural Matobo area to working with paint brushes and acrylic paints. During the workshops the  artists transfer their unique hut designs onto pots. Each pot is a unique and individual work of  art, reflecting the rich and timeless tradition of hut painting. 

The aim of the project is to promote the creativity and artistry of the women of Matobo, and  subsequently create greater awareness of this unique art form, nationally as well as  internationally. 

Moreover, the project is a way of making the amazing work of those artists accessible, while establishing a sustainable enterprise designed to improve and uplift the livelihood of the  women, their families and communities. 

The decorated pots will be available for sale at The Orange Elephant and soon at various fairs  and markets in Bulawayo, Vic Falls and Harare.