Sam Chanza began his career as an artist and crafter at Mogwase in early 1999. He hand-makes and sells a variety of articles including woodwork, clay and soap-stones. These, in accordance with Sam’s philosophy of portraying the real African way of life before modern civilisation, generally depict African wildlife, while his non-representational objets include knobkerries, shields and hunting hats.
Tourists flock to his studio to buy his work, Sam believes, “because they appreciate original hand-made products, and they love taking souvenirs home as beautiful memories of their African visits. I feel I am encouraging a lot of new visitors to Africa due to my products being taken overseas and displayed in upmarket homes as souvenirs.”
