Working outdoors with the simplest of hand tools Patron Mushamuka builds guitars.

I’ve worked with more than one tradesman who had all the latest tools and gadgets and yet couldn’t build something sturdy or attractive to save his life. That’s one kind of guy. Then there are guys like Patron Mushamuka, who lives in a refugee camp in Malawi, and working outdoors with the most basic of hand tools, builds guitars. He seems like the sort of person that if you gave him a sharp rock and a log, could build you a nice piece of furniture.

Don’t get me wrong; I like tools and gadgets, but I also enjoy working off the back of my truck with the number of tools that will fit in a drywall bucket, or rigging something up with a hatchet, multitool, and some baling wire or twine. Of course the setup I’m describing sounds pretty plush compared to Mushamuka’s shop.

Thanks for this article Dave!