(“Mandela
turns 88” by Jane Makhubele)
Phansi Museum is currently hosting the art
of Jane and Billy Makhubele in tribute of South Africa’s Human Rights
celebration, which remains enormously significant in South Africa.
The Phansi has a collection of shawls from
the Tsonga- Shangaan people of Limpopo.
These shawls, 1,5 metre x 1 metre in dimension of Indian cloth with the
locally preferred design on a dark-blue background is chosen from the local
trader and draped over the shoulders in the style of the community.
For special occasions a married woman wears
a richly decorated shawl to proudly show off her status, artistic skill,
inventiveness and beauty. The favourite layout seems to be a horizontal panel
filled with stories and patterns, bordered above and below by geometric designs
and messages recording the name of the wearer, the address, and sometimes
including the name of her husband who works far away. Whatever is important in
the wearer’s life at that time is often lovingly illustrated on the
shawls.
Authorities believe that the illustration
of attire, began with the search of a local identity and slowly developed into
great artistic endeavours from the 1950’s and onwards, when men spent many
months away on the mines and returned laden with treasures from the urban
markets where they gathered treasures and trinkets to bring back to the family
at home. There they would embellish the garment to celebrate love, family, home
and community.
When Billy Makhubele, a well- known wire
sculptor from Duiwelskloof in Limpopo at the time, married his second wife
Jane, she brought with her a great love of beadwork and craft and soon had the
whole family making minceka (shawls) that were sold to the community.
In 1994, the momentous year in South
African history, their love for Mandela and the peaceful revolution resulted in
the invention of a series of minceka that highlighted the iconic events during
the first few years of change. Always enthusiastic newspaper readers, they cut
out the most spectacular events and Jane converted them into shawls of
celebration and memory. The Phansi is
fortunate enough to have a few of these on exhibition for the public to
enjoy.
“When viewing the minceka, it is evident
that colour is used to express the pure joy and renewal of life or the
momentous occasion. The red powerful outline of Nelson Mandela for instance is
the pumping heart, the blood, the passion, the new life. Against a black
background of reverence that speaks of the respect for the ancestors. At home
in KwaZulu-Natal, we would refer to the light blue surface as being the colour
of the first, i.e. the first-born in the family. The face is featureless
because as tradition dictates, would be an insult to the grand occasion. The
white used in the pieces depicts the bones of those that come before and the
gold represents the sun, the treasure of earth,” explains Phansi’s director,
Sharon Crampton.
“Jane Makhubele says it all: Her words and
colours tumble over each other in outbursts of wishes and dreams.”
The exhibition runs until April 29. Phansi Museum
is situated at 500 Esther Roberts
Road. Glenwood in Durban. Contact Sharon Crampton on 031 206 2889 or
email admin@phansi.com or visit www.phansi.com
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