TALK WITH BEADS

Hlengiwe Dube publishes book about Zulu beadwork.

Hlengiwe Dube, is a Zulu woman who was raised in a traditional family. She has been working with the African Art Centre in Durban, South Africa, for many years. Her relationship with Zulu beadwork is direct and personal, much of it drawn from her own experience or stories passed down by her mother and grandmother.

In Zulu Beadwork: Talk with Beads; she makes her expertise available to readers everywhere. In an engaging, conversational style, she talks about the “unspoken words” of traditional beadwork designs. Each colour of bead, and each combination of colours, creates a different message. From the white beads that assure a lover, “Whenever I see you my heart goes white as the milk of cattle when they are milked in the morning,” to the green beads that proclaim, “I am going to wait for my husband as he works in Johannesburg”. Hlengiwe Dube leads us through the fascinating complexities of beadwork messages.

Contents include: Introduction to beadwork; Beadwork Messages; Beadwork during Pregnancy; Sangomas and beadwork; Snuff and beadwork; Love letters; Shembe beads; Piercing, and Beaded dolls.

Illustrated throughout with beautiful colour photographs and including chapters on historical and regional trends, Zulu Beadwork: Talk with Beads is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about African art from the people who create it. Written by Hlengiwe Dube, the book is published by Africa Direct, INC. OSBN 978-0-9816267-0-3