2025

Mava Field School in partnership with Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History with Craft Masters; Hendrick Tshivhangwaho, Rebecca Matibe, Enos Phalanndwa, Tshavhungwe Mbovane.

In Venda, Limpopo, we launched the first-ever Mava Field School - a partnership between the Milasande Institute and the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History. Over five days, 28 postgraduate students and early-career professionals immersed themselves in an interdisciplinary learning journey rooted in traditional craft practices and process: pottery, woodwork, drum-making, and bracelets.

The school’s name comes from the Xhosa word Mava, meaning “experience.” True to its name, the programme prioritised direct engagement-learning side-by-side with master artisans and heritage knowledge keepers, not just about their skills, but about the cultural, historical, and spiritual contexts that sustain them.

Guided by our pedagogical framework PPIS (Participant Research, Place-based Documentation, Interdisciplinary Corroboration, and Situational Learning), the pilot tested and refined this model in the field, ensuring it was culturally sensitive, impactful, and grounded in lived realities.

At its heart, the Mava Field School was about connection between institutions and indigenous knowledge holders, between past traditions and future practitioners, and between the making of objects and the making of meaning. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in how we teach, learn, and preserve African heritage.

2024

Milasande Craft and Design Academy in partnership with The Ninevites and Karoo Weavers

In October 2024, we took a bold step forward with the launch of the Milasande Craft & Design Academy - a pilot initiative rooted in the belief that craft is not only a skill but a way of sustaining culture, community, and self.

This milestone was made possible through the unwavering support of our partners: The Ninevites, Karoo Souk, Abdul Dube, Nomzamo Mji (Tool Box), Sibabalwe Ndlwana (Ingeyeyo), Tina Ratzer, matt lambert, and Margo Ackeer (Margo Makes) - and most especially, the Nordic Culture Fund, whose generosity turned vision into reality.

Our journey began in North End, a township in Prince Albert, where we met 20 young and eager participants. Over two intensive weeks, they explored:

  • Orientation & Creative Design Thinking

  • Community Engagement & Collaboration

  • Wellness & Mental Well-being

  • Weaving & Natural Dyeing

  • Woodworking

  • A Final Exhibition of their creations

The academy was more than an educational programme, it was a deeply human-centered experience. Wellness practices sat alongside technical training, and conversations about mental and physical resilience became as important as learning a new craft technique.

As the final exhibition opened, it was clear this pilot had sparked something profound. Each participant carried not only new skills, but also a renewed sense of identity and connection, threads that will continue to weave into their futures.