Hard to believe

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

Winter on our smallholding (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

It’s hard to believe that in a few weeks’ time the grass on our smallholding will be green and these trees once again thick with foliage…

Xhosa Woman hoeing

W&N watercolour on Visual 200gsm 

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. 

- Nelson Mandela

The Xhosa number approximately 7,1 million people, the majority of whom live in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. They are descendant from the Nguni, who migrated from central and northern Africa. They comprise a number of clans such as Gcaleka, Ngika, Ndlambe, Dushane, Qayi and the Gqunkhwebe of Khoisan origin.

In Xhosa culture the women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. If she has children, whom she has raised to be adults, then it is usual to find her seated among her peers smoking a long-handled pipe. It is also tradition that the women tend to the fields, carry water and tend to the household in general.

African Tribal dress

W&N watercolour on Visual 200gsm 

African clothing is the traditional clothing, often vibrantly coloured, worn by the indigenous peoples of Africa. In some instances these traditional garments have been replaced by western clothing introduced by European colonialists and worn in conjunction with tribal beads and aprons.

Ndebele women traditionally adorned themselves with a variety of ornaments, each symbolising her status in society. After marriage, dresses became increasingly elaborate and spectacular. In earlier times, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs and neck, symbolising her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home was built.

Xhosa beadwork, like all African art, is steeped in symbolism and meaning. It has a rich and colourful history and has faced extinction with the encroachment and interference of the civilised, western, Christian world. Fortunately it has survived over the centuries and is still practiced by pockets of women in some regions of South Africa, to keep the tradition alive as well as to keep food on the table.

African Indaba

Winsor and Newton watercolour on Xpressit 200gsm paper 

An indaba is an important conference held by the izinDuna (principal men) of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa. In traditional African culture, people get together to sort out the problems that affect them all, where everyone has a voice and where there is an attempt to find a common mind or a common story that everyone is able to tell when they go away from it.

The term comes from a Zulu language word, meaning “business” or “matter”. The term has found widespread use throughout Southern Africa and often simply means gathering or meeting.

Hypericum perforatum

Black Pilot Calligraphy Lettering Pen sketch with W&N watercolour on X-pressit 300gsm acid-free paper 

Afrikaans : Johanneskruid

 St John's wort is the plant species Hypericum perforatum, and is also known as Tipton's Weed, Chase-devil, or Klamath weed and is widely known as an herbal treatment for depression. Indigenous to Europe, it has been introduced to many temperate areas of the world and grows wild in many meadows and in our South African gardens.

The flowering tops of St. John's wort are used to prepare teas, tablets, and capsules containing concentrated extracts. Liquid extracts and topical preparations are also used. Today, St. John's wort is used by some for depression, anxiety, and/or sleep disorders.

France has banned the use of St. John’s wort products. The ban appears to be based on a report issued by the French Health Product Safety Agency warning of significant interactions between St. John’s wort and some medications. Several other countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada, are in the process of including drug-herb interaction warnings on St. John’s wort products.

Read HERE how effective St John's Wort is.