Shaun Harris
Events at the Festival of Living Treasure at St Lucia and Shongweni will be the launching pad for a home-grown employment creation programme that could bring ongoing economic empowerment to some of the poorer communities in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) will use the festival as the marketing focus of its Sustainable Lifestyles Programme, an initiative in skills training and self- employment for communities bordering these areas.
The venues will provide immediate employment opportunities for people living in the area, who will manage camping facilities, food and craft stalls, transport and act as guides and security services. But the encouraging thing about the programme is that it will be ongoing, aiming to create 200 000 jobs over the next 20 years.
Four training projects have already taken place in preparation for the festival. A 13-week textile painting and design course for local students was run by Gem Melville and trainers from Pakhamani Products.
Hand-made items will be sold at the festival, but the plan is that the skills learned will provide the base for people to setup their own businesses and create further employment.
The Hotel School at the ML Sultan Technikon has trained community members in cooking and cateringfor the festival, but also for ongoing employment, either as a start up business or employment in the formal sector.
The Business Clinic at Natal Technikon ran a course developed by the International Labour Organisation on how to start up a business. This will be followed by aftercare and guidance for students who start their own business.
And security company Tekweni Security has trained 80 community members to be marshals during the festival, providing them with certificates of reference to try and secure permanent employment in the future.
While the plan is for the local communities to eventually take over the running of the annual festival, the permanent benefits will come not only from skills training, but also from making people realise they can be economically active in harmony with their living environment.
Tourism will be a major generator of income as people visit these environmental areas, but skills learned over the years can also be transferred to the formal sector. And with communities learning that they can earn a living from the environment, a new class of eco-entrepreneurs looks set to be born.