BY ESTHER NURIA
AS our tourism sector is growing domestically, and slowly making its way known to the outside world. It’s obvious to see the growth among local artists displaying their artworks to visiting tourists within the Honiara’s National Art Gallery compound.
Solomon Women Newspaper was so fortunate to talk with two local women and artists, Mrs. Larisa Justine and Ms. Flory Donasiano this week.
Solomon Women Newspaper (SWN): What products do you two sell?
Larisa Justine and Flory Donasiano (LJ) and (FD): We sell baskets, lava lava, food covers and many more products that visitors are interested in buying.
SWN: How long have you been selling these products?
LJ and FD: We’ve been here selling the products for some time now under the Artist Association of Solomon Islands.
SWN: How long do you usually spend here selling your products?
LJ and FD: It depends on how long we want to sit here, most of the time we arrive here at 8am and leave at 4 or 5pm. Just in line with normal working hours.
SWN: Why do you choose to come here?
LJ and FD: We choose to come here because we are unemployed, therefore by coming here weaving baskets and making lava lavas will help us earn money each day. By sending our children to school and providing food for the family. Better than staying at home doing nothing.
SWN: What are some of the challenges you face each day?
LJ and FD: We have faced a lot of challenges, like you’ll see we don’t have proper shelter to sell our products, we just sit here beside the road or display our arts or products by hanging them on trees. We find it very difficult in selling our products during the rainy season because of no proper shelter.
SWN: How do you tackle these challenges?
LJ and FD: In such cases we just usually pack up and leave.
SWN: Apart from all this, do you love what you doing?
LJ and FD: Yes, we really enjoy what we are doing, because each day we come here spending time together making friends and at the same time helping each other in creating new ideas better products and all that we need to include in our handicrafts.
SWN: Are there any other plans you have in expanding your market?
LJ and FD: Yes, we have plans, we’re thinking of expanding our market by making something new and different from others. E.g. making our handicrafts extra ordinary out of the rest, or something that will capture a visitor’s attention.
SWN: Any advice from you to our local women who have interest in what you’re doing?
LJ and FD: For you women, young girls and men who stay back at home doing nothing, we encourage you that what we are doing here is a thing that everyone should have an interest in. Because those of us here are not doing art and craft only. What we do here is buy selling and display of traditional products.
SWN: Any last comments you wish to share with our readers?
LJ and FD: Yes, from us both we want to thank the association, Artist Association of Solomon Islands because without this association we won’t be staying here. And who knows where we will sit selling our handicrafts.
