A Question of Power

Villagers and teachers from the Motabeng Secondary School attend the opening of a shop selling handmade items. Eugene explains the shop’s philosophy: The members own it, and they work together, sharing skills and resources. A young girl models dresses, shopping bags, and jewelry, and another girl shows off bowls, jugs, and plates. A man holds a brick he made, and Kenosi discusses the garden and the pounds of Cape Gooseberry that miraculously grow. In pamphlets, Elizabeth extolls the benefits of Cape Gooseberry—it contains lots of Vitamin C, an antidote to skin diseases like scurvy. The audience is suspicious of the shop. The villagers hadn’t made any money. A teacher jokes that too many people want too few items.

On a Saturday morning, the people running the shop discuss prices and shares. They have a total of 80 rands to split among 40 people. An older woman suggests taking half and saving half. Eugene notes that people take a long time to produce goods, driving up prices. An older man scolds the girls who need six days to clean cotton wool. Another woman complains that people, already owning 25 cent shares, don’t want to work.