Tupwemo was born in Angola in 1969. She is married and has a son and a daughter. She learnt weaving from her mother who is still an active basket weaver, though not as good as Tupwemo. She is now teaching her own daughter how to weave.

Tupwemo weaves using the traditional coil method. Either a thin bundle of palm fibre, grass, or a single piece of vine is used for the interior of the coil. To make a basket, a small hole is pierced into the previously woven row with an awl, and then a strip of palm is inserted into the hole and wrapped around the core. Weaving strips of dyed palm into the appropriate places creates designs such as Tupwemo's favourite traditional flower pattern. It takes Tupwemo four to six weeks to complete a basket, weaving daily.