History woven stitch by stitch

“This retrospective exhibition foregrounds the traditional oral histories and acts as a loudhailer through which to amplify the stories and experiences by and for the people who are otherwise not heard. Through simultaneous narration and documentation, we hope to foster a safe environment to promote healing and sharing to bring people and diverse communities together.”

- Curator and art collector, Azu Nwagbogu

The Senior Primary girls enjoyed an outing to the exhibition of the Keiskamma Tapestries, Umaf’ evuka, nje ngenyanga / Dying and Rising as the Moon Does, at Constitutional Hill. These unique art pieces - all handwoven by a community of rural women from Hamburg, Eastern Cape, demonstrate the importance of documenting local history and quintessentially South African stories. The exhibition was curated against the backdrop of the former prisons - offering a message of hope that draws on the transformative power of art and storytelling.

In her reflection on the exhibition, project founder, Dr Carol Hofmeyr explains the importance of using art as a medium for healing and as a means of sustainable livelihood for the women in this historically marginalised community.

When asked why we should include local history in our teaching, a Grade 6 student replied: “If we do not take care of these spaces… if we do not see these tapestries and their stories, we will forget and when we forget, we make even worse mistakes than those we made in the past”.

Please follow the links below to read more about the project:

Keiskammaart Project

The Keiskama Tapestry

LAUREN HOWDEN AND ROSA ELK
SENIOR PRIMARY ENGLISH AND HISTORY TEACHERS