A growing force in the arts

Describing herself as someone who is always searching and aiming for something bigger and greater in life, Zodidi Jewel Gaseb is an arts lover and entrepreneur that might as well be declared a citizen of SADC, having lived in both Namibia and South Africa for much of her childhood.
She is the owner and manager of African Naturals, which is company that sells unrefined Shea butter, does hair consultations, inspirational talks and presentations. She also organises hair and beauty meet ups and challenge hair stereotypes in our country and as far as the message reaches, and was recently elected to the National Arts Council to serve as the main board member.
When she moved to Windhoek a few years ago, she worked as a graphic designer, and then moved to the National Theatre of Namibia as a sales person, from where she then went on to work as a curator and art educational officer at the National Art Gallery of Namibia for a few more years. Zodidi told The Zone that she also had the opportunity to lead mobile exhibition to various regions in Namibia as well as curate a few private exhibitions and judge various art competitions.
After that venture, she then moved to the Namibia Business Innovation Institute at the Namibian University of Science and Technology where she ran a national art competition for children with special needs. Zodidi says that there were more personal projects that she has been involved with ranging from photography and visual arts to bringing artists together to collaborate on various projects.
As a young business owner and forming formidable force in the local arts industry, Zodidi said that some of the challenges that she faces as an entrepreneur were associated with quality assurance around the product as well as the delivery of products on time from the suppliers to her. “There have also been quite a lot of fake products on the market so one had to provide constant quality products and services.”
She mentioned that financing her business was also a challenge and there were times where she wanted to give up, but then she says someone placed a huge order and that compelled her to continue with her dream.
She was also recently elected to the National Arts Council as a main board member, which she says was a humbling experience. “It has been such a learning experience being surrounded by arts connoisseurs who are as passionate about art and change as I am. I definitely add to the team by bringing my experience not only in art, but in collaborations, events management, marketing and working with disadvantaged communities” she added.
Zodidi also told The Zone that the current board of the National Art’s Council wants to get it right this time so the workload is intense. “It has been a whole lot of reading and paperwork. It has been a humbling experience because we want to get it right this time around, so that means reading and verifying and doing research in order to provide a stellar service” she guaranteed.
At the moment the budding entrepreneur and arts lover is working on a few projects that include the Natural Hair and Beauty Expo which was launched last year with four other natural hair and beauty enthusiasts. She has also collaborated with a few international bloggers on various projects, which has seen her mature into working with some of the local talent here at home, to add to her experience and growing arts CV.
Together with Romeo Sinkala, Jacques Mushaandja and Tanya Turipamwe, Zodidi is working on a project that is meant to create greater exposure for both Namibian arts and artists.
She says that she would love to expand her product line as well as have international collaborations for both her African Naturals business as well as with the various arts projects with which she is involved. “I would love for my company to grow to such a level that I am able to employ other young women. I would also love to venture into other sustainable businesses in the near future” she told The Zone.
She said that the legacy that she wants to be remembered by should be as someone who always challenged stereotypes through various collaborative efforts, art projects, and blogs amongst others. “I want to be remembered as someone who encouraged others to celebrate and accept their heritage, their melanin, their flaws and differences” she remarked.
The 33-three-year old who is a Fine Arts graduate from the Walter Sisulu University in East London, South Africa, said that she is inspired on a daily basis by the simple things. “I must interact with art, people, design, music and surround myself with creativity to stay energised and motivated’ she shared.
She told The Zone that some of her passions outside of the arts and hair include factors that are at the heart of women’s and children’s welfare. “I’ve always been a feminist, and generally speaking my mind and encouraging to not just taking information or the world as it is but to challenge it and change it has always been a passion closely associated to me.”
In closing Zodidi encouraged other young people to stay persistent as they seek opportunities to build their arts and craft business in Namibia. She commented that although much development has been done in terms of the growth of the arts industry in the country, there is still much to be desired.
“There are a few ripples in the industry and it’s fantastic to see growth and change, but I think quality can improve. I also firmly believe that art is not a fluff thing out there for one to appreciate and box. It is part of our history, industries, education. In that spirit funding should be tabled accordingly as well as more opportunities for artists should be implemented” she commented.
Keith Vries