A woman of substance

A big tree has fallen in the iconic anti-apartheid fighter - Winne Madikizela Mandela. She embodied it all - wit, intelligence, looks, carriage, defiance, voice, opinion and bravery - all proudly displayed in the beautiful iconic photographs I have included here. The system of apartheid robbed her of a normal family life, as her husband was fully immersed in the political struggle, long before he was incarcerated for 30 years. Winne Mandela continued, fully immersing herself in activism, taking on her husband's mantle with courage. Then she was robbed again by the system - of her dignity when she blurred the boundaries by her uncompromising attitude towards against any found to be against the struggle that had shaped her voice. It brought her notoriety which she bore in her own unique style. She was a proud lady and held her head high - sometimes with a twinkle in her eye...an African style icon even in advanced years. Celebrate with me her creative flair in these images which showcase her South African heritage through beadwork, headdress, and flowing woven gowns.
May her soul rest in peace.

I Lisk - 2018 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Krio Heritage - Impressions

Image
Aberdeen,  Freetown,  Sierra Leone.  ©️ I. LISK I came across my work today while organizing my digital space. In July 2017, I took part in a writing workshop. It was part of the ‘Africa Writes’ series , this one on  Krio Heritage, organized by the British Library.   We examined artifacts, books and writings on Krio culture and settlement . We also brought in some items from our own personal collections ;  and I wrote the following explorative piece - a montage of impressions. In my mind it is unfinished; my efforts resulted in 3 vignettes, and each could be expanded into stories or poems.  As an exercise, it was adequate for the purpose of developing thoughts and ideas, which was part of the remit.  I’m told that whatever it ends up being – even unchanged, it was a good start. We took turns to read our thoughts to the small but encouraging audience made up of  workshop participants and interested guests – it was the...
Read more

The Tree of Life

Image
A s I delved deeper into the craft of wire wrapping, I've noticed a recurring pattern - the variations are a diverse and complex metaphorical representation of the 'Tree of Life'. The lush, full and bountiful tree, is ubiquitous to many spiritual movements; for instance Eastern and Mediterranean myths and religions; in Christianity, appearing in the books of Genesis and Revelations; in Judaism in the Torah, and in the symbolism of Kabbalah. The Tree of Life is also represented in Hinduism, Islam; and Persian mythology, where I've found some of the most beautiful and colourful depictions in art and craft form - for example carpets and hand painted scrolls. As art gets its inspiration from...and imitates life, so the beautiful wire wrapped pendants and jewellery that I've seen by many modern wire crafters on my online travels. The sometimes bejeweled branches and leaves, at times embellished with an oval stone to represent the moon; rise from many wire roots, t...
Read more

More bountiful Tree of Life !

Image
   Another variation on the Tree of Life using  green Malachite chips and a swarovski teardrop wrapped with gold fill wire. I love this ! Also see my previous blog  https://www.i-love-handcrafts.com/2018/07/the-tree-of-life.html Work in Progress !
Read more