In this week’s edition of “Picking up the threads”, Hanli Fourie from Luminous Ware fame reminisces about her recent trip to the Karoo Winter Wool Festival in Middelburg in the Karoo. She discovered why wool symbolises natural goodness, nurturing and a sense of well-being.
When I first saw a post advertising the Karoo Winter Wool Festival, I just knew I had to be there. I reckoned there would be much to learn and that it would provide a valuable networking opportunity. However, the festival had a depth and an impact that I could hardly have imagined.
Here are five lingering thoughts about the festival:
1. A generation of changemakers is rising up
This country is no stranger to turmoil and hardship. Perhaps that is why we are such a resilient nation with an inextinguishable pioneering spirit. I did not interact with a single person at the festival who is not driven by the desire to rebuild South Africa and to see its people prosper. They did not have to spell it out: it was the underlying theme in every conversation.
When the Middelburg Tourism Events Committee came up with the idea, they had no clue if anybody would show up! They built, they fixed, they renovated, they asked for help and wiped the sweat from their brows. Their enthusiasm was contagious.
They organised speakers, exhibitors, workshops, food and leading up to the event, the town pulled together for a proper clean-up. And then we came – in our numbers. Middelburg, Karoo, will never be the same again.
2. Let’s not waste a good crisis
Over the last two decades, we as South Africans have made ourselves reliant on other countries to dress us. As a result, the pandemic caused major disruptions in our clothing and textile supply chains when the borders of countries like China closed.
This begged the question: “Now, what?” We need to restore our clothing and textile supply chains within our own borders. This was the overarching theme woven like a golden thread through the talks. We need to create a market for wool locally. This is urgent and it is attainable.
3. Music transcends cultural differences
When I saw that there was going to be a Skuurdans featuring a popular Afrikaans singer, it was not on my to-do list for the festival weekend. However, my young Congolese and English designer friends were eager to attend, insisting that it would be fun.
So, we ended up encouraging our new industry friends (including Spanish, Xhosa and French speakers) to join us as well. And there we were: a culturally diverse, happy group who were dancing, laughing and singing to an about-to-be-dropped new Afrikaans hit song in the middle of the Karoo. I did not see that one coming!
4. Collaboration is the way forward
There was a true sense that the festival had drawn like-minded people together, although most of us seemed to have no idea what to expect or even why we had felt compelled to be there.
It was heart-warming to see entrepreneurs and creatives from different sectors find common ground and have conversations about collaborations.
To hear them talking about women in rural areas who desperately need to earn a living. To see how passionate they are about creating opportunities for crafters and artisans. To watch them exchange details so they can continue these discussions away from the festive Skuurdans music – back in the “real” world where real problems need to be solved.
5. A return to nature
Why did hundreds of people attend the first Karoo Winter Wool Festival? Indeed, we’re just emerging from a global pandemic and it’s exhilarating to join a joyous celebration, but surely we didn’t drive hundreds of kilometres for a big party?
My guess is that the words “wool” and “Karoo” drew people in because of their connection to nature. Wool symbolises natural goodness, nurturing and a sense of well-being. The Karoo is synonymous with unrestricted views, deep breaths of fresh air, and soul-touching sunrises and sunsets.
I think it relates to simple living and authenticity in a world full of fakes. Our connection to the sources of our clothes and our food has been severed to a large extent. Amazingly enough, this short visit to a Karoo farm seemed to have plugged us right back in and filled us with wonderment. We all arrived feeling fatigued and left completely revitalised.
Next year, I plan to attend the Karoo Winter Wool Festival again. Word has now spread about this superb festival and I expect there will be many more attendees in future. So, I will always treasure the memories of these three days where I found my wool tribe and witnessed the birthing of a new chapter in the South African wool industry.
It feels quite fitting that we discovered a newly born lamb and her mom in the veld that first afternoon. The lamb was still a bit bloody and scared, but she was full of life and promise for the future.
- Hanli Fourie loves natural products almost as much as she loves Africa and its people. She dreams of seeing this continent flourish. Join her journey on Instagram at or on Facebook.
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