A-LISTERS | Local legends and living treasures

Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo!

More than 70 years after some 20,000 women of all colours marched to the Union Buildings, the isiZulu chant “You strike a woman, you strike a rock!” reverberated again in Pretoria — only this time the refrain was uttered at a much smaller gathering to celebrate six women who have made an invaluable contribution to our cultural heritage.

We were at the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History, set in a stately neoclassical building constructed more than a century ago to house the South African mint, for the launch of the Legendary Women in the Arts exhibition.

Forming part of the national commemoration of the anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March, this was an auspicious occasion that deserved more support than was evident on the night, with not a single government minister making the effort to attend the event.

This was an auspicious occasion that deserved more support than was evident on the night

This was especially disappointing because women such as Esther Mahlangu, Helen Sebidi and Noria Mabasa — through chicken feathers, crayons and carved wood — have for decades powerfully captured who we are, to much local and global acclaim.

After walking through the imposing canopied entrance and into the hall where the event was held, I find sports personality Ria Ledwaba, who was impeccably turned out in a mustard blazer with the South African Gallery of Legends emblem embroidered on its chest pocket. I learn that the former South African Football Association vice-president and founder of the Ria Stars Football Club is the founder and chair of the event put on to recognise and honour South African sports, arts and culture icons.

Also present is previous Legends recipient Phillip Ndou, who was there with his wife Promise Ndou (the two in matching outfits).

This exhibition, which will run for six months, was made possible through the support of four entities: the National Arts Council of South Africa, Rea’s organisation, the National Heritage Council of South Africa (NHCSA), and the Ditsong Museums of South Africa.

We had to sit through several speeches from representatives of each of those organisations after a recital of the preamble to the constitution and the singing of the national anthem by pupils from Sefako Mapogo Makgatho Primary School in Atteridgeville. However, thankfully the night’s MC, Realeboga Malatji, kept things lively throughout.

Ria showed us her spirited attitude hasn’t waned in the slightest, and she informed us she had managed to strike two deals, one of them involving convincing the department of sports, arts & culture to finance a programme to allow the legends to share their knowledge with others in the community.

Then, turning to Australian high commissioner to South Africa Tegan Brink — present at the event to unveil the ball used during the 2023 Netball World Cup final in Cape Town, which was won by the Australian Diamonds, and the rugby ball used in the Rugby World Cup final, where the Springboks claimed their record-breaking fourth title (both of which were painted by another of the night’s honoured legends, Esther Mnguni) — she explained the second deal.

“I said to [Tegan], ‘Can we make a deal that this art will be exhibited in Australia during the Netball World Cup and the Rugby World Cup next year?’ I know I have you all as witnesses here today, and she didn’t say, ‘No’, so she has agreed,” announced the woman known as soccer’s Iron Lady.

On to the legendary gogos with gravitas (at 67, storyteller Gcina Mhlophe is the spring chicken in the group, while Ma Esther Mahlangu, who turns 91 in November, is the eldest), and we got to meet these living treasures when the exhibition was officially opened.

Rebecca Matibe, the Venda artist whose pottery blends form and function, exudes a gentle calm, and I am transfixed by the imposing sculpture commemorating the 1956 Women’s March, which Noria Mabasa carved from the trunk of a baobab tree.

“How long did it take you to complete it?” I ask.

“Three months,” says the 88-year-old artist, who is believed to start on a new work only after inspiration comes to her in a dream.

While still mulling over the lacklustre attendance on a night held to celebrate our living treasures, I found solace in the words of Sepheu Masemola when he also addressed us during the evening.

“If the scholarly definition of heritage is an event of significance, what you are experiencing this evening will be what we consider to be part of our heritage in the future,” said the chair of the NHCSA.