I absolutely adore the idea of Christmas making a turn in July! Temperatures are near sub-zero, everybody is rocking the latest winter fashion and well, prices are almost at an all-time high this time around. Sort of. But it’s the closest thing we will get to a Christmas in the West, so I’m down.
Too bad we haven’t got the joy of ice crystals tumbling down in oblivious hysteria every morning so that the family can enjoy whipping up a random snowman.
The Omba Gallery’s latest exhibition ‘Christmas In July’ is in town and I am optimistic to spot a couple of early prezzies for the family.
Word of advice: resist the urge to spend before you actually get to the gallery. On the way there, you’ll have to dodge all sorts of arts and crafts on display, such as traditional Oshiwambo attire, wooden sculptures and a bevy of beaded jewellery among some. Because of this, I recommend some serious tunnel vision and the ability to reflect items like Superman.
Going up the stairs and entering the Omba Gallery, I am flabbergasted. The usually modest space is transformed into a wintry paradise blaring and flaring with Christmas magic. Red, white, yellow, green, pink – which way to look? Which way to go? And this, friends, is where you can finally exhale.
I spot an African printed shirt for men, similar to something I’d seen on Kendrick Lamar, for about N$450. Unfortunately only a limited number of shirts are on show, so if you dare to find out if one of them is your size, grab your wallet and get ready to sprint over to the gallery before the supply runs out.
After a mini coin toss in my head, I decide to head to the left where I find a variety of life-sized animal heads made out of beads and wire. They’d make a lovely statement in anyone’s holiday home for the sake of spur and spontaneity. Each piece goes for about N$3 000. My favourite has to be the lovely swan mother complete with its cygnet – perfect for any area that has an aquatic theme with the price tag of N$3 900.
Lots of items are ideal for the outdoors, such as colourful parrots you might want to place in the lounge, reggae lizards (the Jamaican colours totally gave it away) complete with wire dreads and a pretty chilled giraffe. Or you could opt for owls and parrots on branches going for N$190.
And then I notice Christmas trees. It is not the typical abies amabilis (or the white fir tree) that we are so used to seeing on television, but actual branches spray-painted in silver, black or green. Do not expect the typical Christmas décor that you have been recycling for the past five years either. Instead, you have the option of replacing or combining those ornaments with little cotton angels, handcrafted filigrees in a myriad of colours and even carved stars to place on top of the Christmas tree.
If you wish to go the extra mile this Christmas, plates, miniature trees and woven cloths for the tables at home are available for purchase including a nest for the outdoors (it seriously belongs on the cover of some interior design magazine if you ask me).
A calabash carved to store a wire family caught my eye and I thought how interesting it would be if I played ‘House House’ with it as a child… this one cost only N$460. It’s simply ingenious!
The little ones are hardly forgotten in this collection and the range is quite broad. Toy hammers and bakkies made out of recycled material, and multi-coloured lamps or stuffed dolls that would make an awesome edition to any child’s bedroom.
It is refreshing that the pieces already have somewhat of a homely feel, because well, this is Africa and Africa loves its prints. I felt proud at the sight of Windhoek Lager bottle caps and cooldrink cans because who doesn’t love a green and ‘conscious’ collection? An indirect message that the general public should stop littering? I presume so.
Understanding the background to how these final products came about made me even prouder. Women dwelling on the farms sent their embroidered blankets to the city so that they could make enough money to feed their families. Other artists broke their backs to bring about the ‘Christmas In July’ collection in time for tourists to come around and export their goodies back home.
For those who haven’t made a turn at the Namibia Crafts Centre yet, it’s located in Tal Street, right behind the main KFC in town.
