Artist Statement for exhibition opening 5th June 2021.
Make the Circle Bigger
I ask the question, 'Am I African
now?' to bring attention to the fact that, under the current trend of being
a white South African, you are not automatically considered African. Once a
white South African seeks more knowledge about the vast African ethnic groups,
there is almost always an accusation that cultural appropriation is taking
place.
I aim to prove this statement
by using the term ‘cultural appropriation’ in the most literal mediums
possible: through art.
Why? When I seek my identity in
Africa, I am faced with constant reminders by my peers that my whiteness is
problematic as I am only seen as a colonizer - a label that I am not allowed to
remove.
In my series I use a digital
medium as well as traditional oil paint to signify the stark contrast of a
white skin adorned in the most intricate traditional fashion of various ethnic
groups which, by most of the younger black generation, is claimed to be
cultural appropriation. I know that with any good intention, I will offend many
and will be accused of cultural appropriation, even though I did my research
and I truly tried to immerse myself in the history of each ethnic groups
traditional clothing. I will always fall short and will always bear the
reminder that no amount of appreciation for the traditional clothing or each
culture will remove me from being labeled as an ignorant, uneducated, and
racist person by my peers.
Is freedom of expression then null
and void when I raise the question, ‘Am I African now?’
In this body of work, I
portray most of SA’s traditional garments (about 9 cultures) as opposed to one
because I want to focus on South Africa’s cultures, not just one
specific culture. Otherwise, my title would be ‘am I Xhosa now’ or any of the
other cultures represented here. I also
felt it would be limiting to focus on one culture seeing as though there are so
many with such beautiful garments. Another reason is the fear of repetition,
this allows me to focus on multiple clothing styles, I want people to look and
see their heritage and relate with it, talk to me about it and teach me what
the internet could not teach me.
In my research of the
history of these dresses have found that the clothing items such as the
necklaces and the hats all have a reason or meaning. This made it fascinating for me as a white
lady who usually wears clothes just to look presentable to the public. For example, the Xhosa use colourful beadwork
and women tend to paint their faces in patterns as a ritual to prepare them for
life (this is part of their whole attire).
The Zulu people, wear
animal skins to show their marital status and leopard skins (king of all
predators) to show their royal status. Married women wear circular-shaped hats
called izicolo and it protects the wearer from the harsh sun.
The Ndebele are known for
their thick beaded hoops that they wear around their necks, arms, wrists, and
waist - known as isigolwani. Married women wear copper rings called idzilla
around their necks.
Venda: mature girls wear
nwenda around their waist or on one shoulder and it’s made from bright strips
of fabric. They also wear beaded necklaces and headbands.
The Swazi or Swati have
traditional attire for specific gender and age groups. Some are only worn during
the Umhlanga (reed dance) or Incwala (ritual of kingship) ceremonies.
These are only a few
examples of information I have learnt while researching the clothing history.
References:
·
Bold Commerce
Collaborator, Jul 29, 2018, Traditional South African Clothing,
https://nicharry.com/blogs/blog/traditional-south-african-clothing
·
Philip Edusei, April 17, 2020 , 7
Highlights of South African Traditional Clothing, https://www.unorthodoxreviews.com/south-african-traditional-clothing/
·
Mary Wagura, 05/25/20, Traditional South African
clothing for different ethnic groups in the country Read more: https://briefly.co.za/53105-pics-traditional-south-african-clothing-different-ethnic-groups-country.html
·
Andile Smith, July 20 2020, Tswana People- Culture,
traditional attire and language, https://buzzsouthafrica.com/famous-facts-about-tswana-people-culture-and-language/
·
Peter Kinuthia,
11/02/2020, Tswana culture, people,
food, language, traditions, ceremony, dance and traditional attire Read
more: https://briefly.co.za/30383-tswana-culture-people-food-language-traditions-ceremony-dance-traditional-attire.html
·
IXWA, 03.21.2021, South African
Culture, Customs And Practices Writ Large: Re-Morphed Cultural Renaissance
Against Dysfunctional Existence,
https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/The-Blame-is-Squarely-Laid-on-the-Feet-of-Poor-Africans-Chains-on-the-Minds-oF-Africans-Dysfunctional-Existence
·
Latest SePedi Traditional Attire,
https://www.sunika.co.za/latest-seped-traditional-attire
·
Maliba Mountain Lodg, 01/11/2010, THE HISTORY OF THE BASOTHO
TRADITIONAL BLANKET, https://web.archive.org/web/20170603184100/http://maliba-lodge.com/blanketwrap/author/malibalodge/
·
ANDREW UNSWORTH, 22 January 2017, How the Basotho
blanket became the brand identity of a nation, https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/fashion-and-beauty/2017-01-22-how-the-basotho-blanket-became-the-brand-identity-of-a-nation/
·
Nguni Shield, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguni_shield
·
Fatima Dike,
https://www.southafrica.net/na/en/travel/article/xhosa-culture-the-clans-and-customs
