Welcome to Africanews

Please select your experience

Watch Live

News

news

"Glass Art Wonderland": a unique venture in Nairobi

LILIAN AKOTH, ANSELM KITENGELA HOT GLASS, NAIROBI, KENYA   -  
Copyright © africanews
Cleared @Ronald Agak

Kenya

*The art of glass blowing is a unique venture that is practiced by few entities in Africa.*

For over three decades, Anselm Kitengela Hot Glass has been in this business making fine glass art and products.

"We recycle clear window glass and green bottles. Mainly we major on clear window glass because it is easy to recycle. Most of our glass blowers have been working here for over 30 years. The youngest here I think is eight months who is the lady and she actually our first lady, so they were trained 30 years ago and over time they have grown".

Kitengela Hot Glass has become the epitome of glass blowing in East Africa and this has made it a major tourism destination in Kenya.

"The campaign the Magical Kenya is doing is to show the world what Kenyans and what Kenya have. So, for us, this is a unique art which doesn’t exist in any part of Kenya."

"I never heard of glass blowing before but by the moment I got here, they told me about glass blowing and it is actually, as well it is mind-blowing. The experience here is good, they are beautiful, I can see we have the Valentine glasses here".

Being the only glass blowing entity in the region, Kitengela Hot Glass is also partnering with Eswatini based company that is also in the business of glass blowing.

"Kitengela Hot Glass has teamed up with a company called Ngwenya, it is based in Swaziland. They are also into glass blowing, yeah so, we have a similarity in different ways."

View more