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Innovative wool creations shine at Karoo Winter Wool Festival

25 June 2024 | Story Martinette Brits | Photo Carine van Zyl

OVK Innovation Competition Gala Event 2024 — The prize winners at the gala evening of the OVK Innovation Competition on 13 June 2024. From the left, in front: Emily Segame, Sophia Mekhoe, Sarah Lenong, Maserame Sebonyane, Ntabiseng Ndabeni. At the back: Elizabeth Mnwana, Carlize van Zyl (winner of the competition), Carien Vorster, Jana Vermaas, Doretha Jacobs, and Nelly Olayi.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Wool Wise Community Project was recognised for its innovative use of wool, receiving accolades at the OVK Innovation Competition held in conjunction with the Karoo Winter Wool Festival in Middelburg from 13–16 June 2024.According to Carien Vorster, project manager from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, participants were tasked with crafting practical items from wool. Their creativity shone through in their design of a lampshade, earning them second place. Doretha Jacobs, a lecturer in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, focused on making felt from Dorper fibre, noting that while Dorper sheep are primarily bred for meat, they sought to repurpose fibres that would otherwise be discarded.

The team achieved third place with their cushion, featuring a front made entirely of merino wool felt and a back crafted from upholstery fabric. “Each cushion contains a 100% duck feather inner, and their uniqueness lies in the hand-dyed wool and hand-placed designs on each felt piece,” explains Vorster.

Other notable entries from different teams included a duvet inner, shoe insoles, and oven gloves. The top prize went to a hand-felted coat.

Community project empowers local women in wool craft

The UFS Wool Wise Community Project originated as a spin-off from the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building (Ruforum) project, initiated in 2019 by the UFS Department for Sustainable Food Systems and Development.

According to Vorster, the Ruforum project encompasses various components such as research, farmer support, and community development, with a particular emphasis on community upliftment programmes. "Since 2019, we have conducted numerous wool workshops and training sessions where local women have participated to learn about wool processing," she explains.

"From these events, we identified women who are now integral to our programme. Their skills range from sewing, felt making, and hand embroidery, to knitting."

The project features eight women who create diverse products from scratch: Elizabeth Mnwana, Emily Segame, Georgina Collins, Maserame Sebonyane, Nelly Olayi, Sarah Lenong, Sophia Mekhoe, and Ntabiseng Ndabeni.

She emphasises that the project also manufactures conference bags for various events and stands as one of UFS's most successful community initiatives. "Ultimately, this project has the potential to become self-sustaining, with proceeds supporting the salaries of the eight women," Vorster concludes.

Competition boosts visibility and market reach

Participating in initiatives like the OVK Innovation Competition motivates them to stay current and benchmark their efforts against other businesses or individuals involved in felt product creation.

"Winning a competition can also significantly uplift team morale," remarks Vorster.

"Securing second and third place in this competition translates to increased visibility and marketing opportunities for us. This is crucial as we aim to expand our market reach and establish a sustainable income stream for the project," she concludes.

A worker packs the carded wool in layers preparing for the felting process.

The cushion (in front), secured the team third place at the OVK Innovation Competition.

The lampshade secured the team second place at the OVK Innovation Competition.

News Archive

Race, technology, and maritime labour in the 19th century

2016-06-23

Prof John T. Grider

“When employers
impose
worker identity,
it creates problems.”

What does identity mean to people today, and how is it formed? Religion, politics, race, ethnicity, and gender make up individual and community identity. However, Prof John Grider (University of Wisconsin – La Crosse) is of the opinion that employment moulds our identity, since we spend so much time on the job.

Prof Grider joined the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ) on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses to discuss his research on the maritime industry, published in his book, Foreign Voyage - Pacific Maritime Labour Identity: 1840 to 1890. “When employers impose worker identity, it creates problems,” he said. Particularly, this “creates instability in communities, and a vulnerability and insecurity amongst the employees”.

To illustrate his point, Prof Grider expanded on the history of 19th-century Atlantic sailors, a highly-skilled workforce, who failed to adapt to changes in their labour environment. Initially, the sea-faring community was very diverse racially. However, as the Pacific, and particularly Asian, marine community gained precedence, this tide turned to such an extent that, in 1886, the Atlantic sailors formed their own Coastal Seamen’s Union in San Francisco, causing a split between Asian and non-Asian sailors. Atlantic sailors had failed to integrate with the new technology of the day (steam power), nor had they accepted the demographic changes that flooded their community rapidly with cheap labour from Chinese shores.

Prof Grider highlighted the need to maintain an adaptable mentality in the ever- and rapidly-changing labour world, since division amongst workers could lead only to further exploitation of the workforce.

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