Artists, artisans get market exposure

Tipeze Flea Market team has advocated for visibility and support of local artists through its recent art and craft fair.

The event, held at Game Complex in Lilongwe, aims to provide a platform for creatives and artists to display and sell their work.

In an interview, Tipeze Flea Market marketing specialist Joyce Mponda said the event was organised to close the gap that is there to help artists in the creative sector to gain visibility.

“Many talented artists such as visual artists struggle to showcase their work effectively and reach a wider audience, so our goal with the fair was to create a space where creatives could shine and customers could discover where to find them for their next piece of art,” she said.

The two-day fair attracted 100 creatives who showcased their products. However, more than 100 creatives registered for the market while the number of traders increased to 500 during the fair.

Various artisans, including visual artists, jewelry artisans, basket weavers, sculptors and fashion designers displayed their products along other businesspersons who also participated in the fair.

One of the participants, Francois Bangwe a visual artist, said the fair allowed him to expand his reach, highlighting that he met potential customers at the event.

“I have met a lot of people who are interested in my artworks and I’m sure going forward, I will be working with more traders, the event has been very helpful,” he said.

On his part, Cosoma Copyright Fund director Blessings Botha, who was at the fair, said the fund is there to promote artists in the country by providing opportunities to see them thrive as they explore their various fields.

He commended Tipeze team for organising the fair and allowing artists to network, but also creating business linkages for them through the event and urged participants to take advantage of the opportunities they create through the market.

Tipeze Flea Market project under Estac Events is one of the beneficiaries of Cosoma Copyright Fund in the 3rd call of grants.