Issues with tkinter

[BNelson]

Am having difficulty with importing tkinter following cross-compiling Python from source.

My build environment:

GCC 4.7
uClibc 0.9.33
buildroot
Python 3.4
Tcl/Tk 8.6
target platform=ARM

The symptoms are as follows:

>>> import _tkinter
...
# trying /usr/lib/python3.4/lib-dynload/_tkinter.cpython-34m.so

python: symbol 'FcPatternAddMatrix': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcFontRenderPrepare': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcFontSort': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternDestroy': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternGetString': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternAddInteger': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcCharSetDestroy': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternAddString': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternGetDouble': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternGetCharSet': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcCharSetCopy': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternGetInteger': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcConfigSubstitute': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternAddBool': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcCharSetHasChar': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcFontSetDestroy': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternCreate': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcPatternAddDouble': can't resolve symbol

python: symbol 'FcUtf8ToUcs4': can't resolve symbol
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 2214, in _find_and_load
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 2203, in _find_and_load_unlocked
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1191, in _load_unlocked
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1161, in _load_backward_compatible
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 539, in _check_name_wrapper
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1692, in load_module
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 321, in _call_with_frames_removed
ImportError: unknown dlopen() error

It appears to be an issue with FontConfig.  If I recompile Tk with --disable-xft, tkinter works correctly but with the legacy method of font selection and rendering.

When compiled with --enable-xft (default), Tk demo programs work correctly, but I cannot import tkinter.

I believe that there is a link issue with _tkinter.cpython-34m.so, but have not identified anything despite intense research.

Any suggestions? 

Many thanks.