Can Culture, Heritage Be Copyrighted?

Following Botswana luxury brand Koki Kamala’sHeritage Reimagined:Living Archivesexhibition and fashion show, where Botswana’s landscapes and traditions walked the runway as luxury garments, the conversation shifted from beauty to ownership. Can a designer own culture? Can a traditional motif become intellectual property?

Or does heritage remain forever belonging to the people who created and carried it through generations? For designer and founder of Koki Kamala, Koketso Koki Chiepe the answer lies somewhere between respect and originality. Chiepe’s designs draw from the Okavango Delta’s waterways, the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Tsodilo Hills San art, Mogagolwane motifs and German print (leteisi).

But Chiepe in an interview said inspiration is only where the creative journey begins. “My work begins with Botswana’s landscapes, history and cultural traditions, but it never ends there. Inspiration is only the starting point.” An ancient San rock painting or ceremonial blanket is not simply copied onto fabric.

[paywall]

It is transformed through original textile development, print design, colour, silhouette, craftsmanship and storytelling. “What I own is my original artistic interpretation of that heritage,” Chiepe pointed out.

[/paywall]