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Hard hats for soccer mania: Fun and employment

Generally made by cutting into the plastic hard-hat shell with a hand held cutting knife, folding the desired profile up with the softening assistance of a gas stove, and painting the exuberant profile in the colours of your favourite team, Makarapa's are set to take the 2010 soccer world by storm. If you get off the plane in Germany, San Paolo, London, Lagos, Sydney or Tokyo without a Makarapa on your head, who will believe
you were really there?!

As Brand South Africa's web site, www.southafrica.info says, "The sound of the vuvuzela might take getting used to, the makarapa might get in some people's line of sight, but there is no better way of creating that unique, energetic South African atmosphere during a soccer match". Colour, exuberance, transformation, and expression are the language of South Africa in celebration.

Makapapa’s and Newtown Projects : turning local innovation into employment

Inspired by the inventor, Alfred 'the magistrate' Baloi, and with his son Klaas as a key member of the production team, Newtown Projects was established earlier this year as a creative arts center to produce Makarapas in response to expected demand generated around 2010 soccer mania.

Retaining the individually hand-painted exuberance, whilst substituting the arduous and arm-wrenching boxcutter with digital robotic cutting technology, has made it possible to provide employment to sometimes in excess 30 previously unemployed artists, heat-benders, base painters, finishers and packers.

Paul Wygers from the Newtown Project said: Keiso is one such person. Having done serious time in prison, he vowed to put things right on his re-entry into society. On his release he started the Naledi Art Center in Naledi Soweto, teaching art to school kids two friday's a month at the Michael Seagang Senior Primary School in the area. Every other day of the week he works at the Newtown Project as part of the team producing Makarapas for individual orders, corporate promotions, or key South African retail or product brands looking to use this icon of South African soccer mania as a key carrier of their brand message.

“Our production line is set up to produce larger than normal quantities of the makarapa without compromising the individuality of each makarapa produced. The pinch point in terms of making these amazing art pieces is only in the cutting of them. We have mechanised the cutting process and can therefore increase the number of artists that are employed to paint the makarapas.
We have attached some images of some of our most recent makarapas for your consideration.
We hope that you like what we are doing. Please feel free to contact us at any time.
contact them on 082 600 8169 or email paul@urbansolutions.co.za