Local art café and studio calls all creatives

The Old Breweries building that hosts Et cetera Art Café and Studio has been many things.

Once it was Tony Figueira’s celebrated Studio 77 and more recently the popular Chopsi’s Bar.

Today, Et cetera founder Jaimee-Lee Diergaardt refers to the large, loft style building as a blank canvas and invites creatives to make use of the space as an arts platform before its looming closure.

While Diergaardt isn’t at liberty to share the owner’s final plans for the building, the reality is that the studio’s lifespan as an arts space is limited.

She shared this fact at a recent ‘Creative Entrepreneurs Meet and Mingle’ event.

A mix of artists, wellness practitioners, digital marketers, photographers, musicians and assorted creatives gathered to network, exchange ideas and consider the fate of the space.

Founded in 2023 as a platform for creatives, Diergaardt says the financial demands associated with keeping the art café and studio open has resulted in her initial vision veering somewhat off course.

The meet and mingle event is an attempt to steer the ship in the right direction.

“Et cetera’s original purpose is a space creatives can make use of. It was and is supposed to be a creative, central space,” says Diergaardt.

“The aim of the Creative Entrepreneurs Meet and Mingle was firstly to show creatives the space and its great potential while making them aware that it’s available for use,” she says.

The event also addressed the potential for collaboration, monetising one’s creative talents, and building your creative brand through regular workshops and events, hopefully hosted at Et cetera.

“We had creatives come together to talk about the lack of collaboration and support among ourselves. We also talked about creative businesses and how we could better connect and become a supportive community that helps each other grow,” says Diergaardt.

“I would definitely like the meet and mingles to be a regular thing. I do believe we need more platforms like these that allow people to get together. Curated events, with a bit of a focus but that have a social aspect as well.”

One attendee who found the event particularly inspiring is young creative entrepreneur Natsirayi Dhewa.

“I’m an upcoming digital marketer studying at the International University of Management. I registered my marketing company in 2024,” says Dhewa.

“This event has made me feel relief because I now know where to go when I want to have a function or a workshop. This year I plan to host a summit, as well as workshops about photography, graphic design and creativity – just like what we had today.”

To keep the doors of Et cetera open, Dhewa’s events are just what Diergaardt has in mind.

“We are looking to come up with a calendar that allows creatives or individuals to make use of the space,” says Diergaardt.

“We would love to collaborate on projects and help others find their way. We want to be the venue of choice. The go-to venue for all things creative,” she says.

Ideas that come up during the meet and mingle events include morning yoga and wellness classes, children’s play groups, fashion shows and events, photography classes and studio space, visual art exhibitions and installations, as well as music, comedy and creative corporate events, amid much more.

“We are looking for creatives who can host weekly classes or workshops and are in need of a space,” says Diergaardt.

“We have morning, afternoon and evening slots available throughout the week, so please reach out to us via email at etcwhk@gmail.com.”

Considering the event as a whole, Dhewa is enthusiastic.

“I feel like such events are very important, because they make it easy to connect. Where there’s connection, there’s power.”

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com