Life in the Overberg

This is the second post in a series about ‘unknown’ people in Napier who work in silence. They all have a few things in common: many of them are virtually unknown in their own village and they all make a living out of the ordinary.  This second post is about Jennifer Bam in Napier.

Sculptor Jennifer Bam keeps a low profile but despite that she is known in the right circles. Word of mouth goes fast and so does Jennifer. She became known as one of sculptors who created the huge central sculptures of Africa Burns which are once every year erected in the Tankwa Karoo. From there she travelled on request around the globe leaving her signature behind as far as in California. No small objects for Jennifer thinks big, very big; up to 13 meters high.  At the moment she is with a team of 80 people in Cape Town engaged in the design and creation of all decor materials for a new ‘Tomb Raider‘ movie.

Only female surf board maker in South Africa

But there is more: Jennifer likes to surf but did not like the ordinary surf boards. So she designed a new one; a kind of a hybrid which is designated for ‘fun surfing’. Also this became a source of income since other surfers asked her to make one for them. Environmental conscious as she is Jennifer uses biodegradable resins reinforced with hemp. Although a sideline of her activities the surf boards provide her with a regular income. She is in the surfers community known as the only female surf board maker in South Africa and one of the hand full worldwide.