Onica Lekuntwane, 2002
Homegirl
Onica Lekuntwane graduated from Greenside Design Center (with distinction) in 2002. This was followed by a short stint in the commercial design and advertising industry, until the calling of social responsibility became too loud to ignore...
In 2003 Onica started Homegirl, a community- based project which combines her love for graphic design with her passion for empowering women through sustainable community engagement. Using discarded materials that are painful reminders of difficult societal challenges, her team of young women make innovative crafts and artifacts from mainly recovered beer-bottletops.
In 2007 Onica was nominated for ‘Community Builder of the Year’ at the FNB/Emang Basadi Woman of the Year event, in Gaborone, Botswana. The Homegirl range of bottletop fridge magnets, badges, and earrings are appreciated both locally and internationally, and have been featured in exhibitions and media in Botswana, Denmark, Sweden and North America (at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC). The lead character in The No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency film (Mma Ramotswe) wears Homegirl earrings. Onica, who also holds an MA degree in Digital Arts, is currently the Head of Graphic and Multimedia Design at Greenside Design Center.