With the assistance of the Fine Art Department and funding from the South African Government, Berman established the Papermaking Research & Development Unit at the University.1 This unit has seen many BTech (postgraduate) and master's students structuring their studies and dedicating their talents around developing the hand papermaking industry in South Africa. The Government's interest in the program was directly aimed at poverty alleviation and job creation. Berman's unit began setting up papermaking projects (otherwise referred to here as "business units") in rural areas to combat poverty and provide community upliftment. In 2001, the organization Phumani Paper was born.2 "Phumani" which is a Zulu word meaning "get up" or "do it for yourself" is creating a cultural industry in hand papermaking through its support of the development and sustainability of these community-based small enterprises. Currently 136 beneficiaries are earning an income at the business units through production, marketing, and sales of handmade paper from various locally available plant fibers. Initially, 20 projects were set up to produce handmade paper from fibers that are available in their immediate surroundings. For example, in Kwazulu Natal, papermakers produce paper using sugarcane waste (bagasse) and the leaves of the plant. In the Western Cape, projects are using Port Jackson willow which is an invasive plant in the area; while projects in the North West Province produce papers from banana fiber.3 The establishment of these projects for paper production involved various in-depth studies into locally available fibers suitable for papermaking. Master's student Mandy Coppes completed an investigation into the use of invasive vegetation for hand papermaking.4 While there has been extensive research on fibers Fiber and Community Upliftment in South Africa bronwyn g. marshall Wall design: molded handmade milkweed paper pulp with pins by Touch Paper. Photo: Mandy Coppes, 2006. All photos courtesy of the author. Khaya Qotyana and the author analyzing the pH of paper pulp processed from cotton rag and sisal fiber at the University of Johannesburg, Phumani Archive Mill, South Africa. Photo: Ian Harverson, 2006. winter 2006 - 15 for hand papermaking, most of it covers sources that are exotic and foreign to South Africa's flora. The impact and benefits of Coppes's research thesis are extensive. The invasion by alien vegetation poses a great threat to the equilibrium of the bio-diversity poses a great threat to the equilibrium of the bio-diversity across the globe. It is a priority to protect our natural resources. When hand papermakers transform invasive plants and waste by productsinto saleable goods, they find a productive use for unwanted materials, create employment, while simultaneously conserving the natural environment.Coppes investigated various fibers for hand papermaking, including: Seed-hair fibers: e.g., moth catcher (Araujia serifera), prevalent in the Northern Province and Mpumalanga, found in the fruit of the creeper (a plant that spreads by means of stems that creep). Bast fibers: e.g., milkweed (Asclepias fruticosa), very high yield, produces paper with a strong, lustrous feel. Leaf fibers: e.g., water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), prevalent in the North West Province, Mpumalanga, Kwazulu Natal, and Western Cape. Grass fibers: e.g., pampass grass (Cortaderia selloana), easy to process, but breaks down quickly and yields a small amount of fiber. Coppes’s research has been incorporated into various Phumani Paper business units countrywide. For example, in Ivory Park (Gauteng), Twanano Papermaking is using milkweed fiber to produce their papers and supply the local paper and craft markets. They receive funding to cultivate controlled milkweed crops in order to sustain their resources. Coppes is developing innovative lifestyle products, such as lampshades and wall designs, and marketing them through her business called Touch Paper.5My master’s research project focused on the study of cotton and sisal fibers for archival papermaking to supply the South African art market.6 Archival papers and art materials are imported into South Africa, resulting in huge expenses for artists and students. Although my research was initially aimed at artists, I found that South African archives, museums, libraries, private collectors,and conservators suffer a similar dilemma. For my research, I examined the properties, applications, production techniques, and testing requirements of handmade archival papers, particularly those made from cotton and sisal sheet pulps that are pre-processed at the business units and refined a tour Archival Mill at the University of Johannesburg. The cotton pulp is made from waste generated by the largest toweling manufacturer in South Africa. The cotton is in its purest rag form, containing no chemical additives which can accelerate the natura laging process. The sisal fiber is sourced from revived plantations in the North West and Limpopo provinces, which is decorticated, cleaned, and processed to remove all the damaging materials that cause degradation and premature aging. One of the direct outcomes of the fiber research activities isthe Phumani Archive Mill. Launched in November of 2005, the Mill produces archival handmade papers and boards. The unit was initially funded by the Department of Arts and Culture and supported by the National Archives of South Africa. Phumani Paper has been working closely with the National Archives and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) in testing and developing products to meet the international requirements for archival paper.7 The products are tested at SABS for pH, strength, tear, lignin content, and alkaline reserve. The Phumani Archive Mill is in the process of setting up a chemistry laboratory for conducting Simon Sekuba forming a sheet of paper from cotton rag and sisal fiber at the University of Johannesburg, Phumani Archive Mill, South Africa. Photo: Ian Harverson, 2006. Sibusiso Mbatha couching a sheet of paper from cotton rag and sisal fiber at the University of Johannesburg, Phumani Archive Mill, South Africa. Photo: Ian Harverson, 2006. in-house testing with the assistance of chemical engineering students from the University of Johannesburg. Phumani aims to become a center of excellence for the manufacturing and testing of archival handmade paper, the first of its kind not only in South Africa, but in Africa itself. Paper has been described by Silvie Turner as a substance that is composed of thousands of interlaced, macerated fibers, so that each individual filament is a separate unit, joining other units in an aqueous process to create an interleaving web of plant fibers.8From this definition it can be said that fiber is the essence and fundamental structure of any sheet of paper. The fiber’s strength, cellulose content, length, width, texture, flexibility, durability, yield ,processing methodology, and source all contribute to the aspects and properties that the finished sheet of paper will adopt. Like paper itself, Phumani strives to be a composite network that supports and develops people and communities by establishing and creating a unique cultural industry for hand papermaking in South Africa. Like cellulose to fiber, we aim to bond with the communities in order to make them self-sustainable and profitable. Paper is the medium with which we will achieve our goals. The author wishes to acknowledge Kim Berman, founder of Phumani Paper and the Papermaking Research & Development Unit, and Mandy Coppes for their assistance and cooperation with this article.___________ notes 1. Funding was initially awarded by the Department of Science & Technology(DST), formerly Department of Arts, Culture, Science & Technology (DACST).2. Phumani Paper is registered in South Africa as a Section 21 company, a nonprofitorganization.3. Other fibers that are currently being used for the manufacture of handmad epaper in Phumani business units that are not mentioned above are poplar, ficus, river reed, blue gum, and pineapple leaf fibers.4. Amanda J. Coppes, “Hand Papermaking and the Use of Invasive Plant Fibers for a New Cultural Industry” (research thesis for master’s qualification in fine art, Technikon Witwatersrand, 2003).5. Touch Paper is registered as a closed-corporation company, operating from SPARK! Gallery in Orange Grove, Johannesburg.6. Bronwyn G. Marshall, “An Investigation into Archival Handmade Papers to Supply the South African Art Market” (research thesis for master’s qualification in fine art, Technikon Witwatersrand, 2003). 7. Currently a South African standard has not yet been established. 8. Silvie Turner, The Book of Fine Paper (London: Thames and Hudson,1998). Dumisani Dlamini examining a sheet of archival paper made from cotton rag and sisal fiber at the University of Johannesburg, Phumani Archive Mill, South Africa. Photo: Ian Harverson, 2006. The Phumani Archive Mill team: Nathi Ndlandla, Sibusiso Mbatha, Jeannot Ladeira, Bongani Khambule ,Londi Mngadi, Khaya Qotyana, Dumisani Dlamini, and Simon Sekuba. Photo: Ian Harverson, 2006.