community reflections

I left school in Sub-B, which is grade 2 in these days. I learned many things in life from my grandmother who looked after me and brought me up. She was teaching me to do cooking and house chores, how a girl is taking care of herself, how to live with neighbours and my community. It was so nice. We were so many grandchildren at her home, boys and girls. Sometimes she had some sweets and other goodies that she gave to all of us. Some she would hide and give to each of us only when you do good to her.

We were staying in rondawel houses—two rondawels, one big and the other small. These were made of wood and mud. There were no windows, just small holes, and in them we were putting some pieces of old clothes or a piece of hessian from an empty bag of mielie meal.

The walls were not bright, as they were made from clay that we fetched from the river. There was no electricity and not even candles. We were using the tins with a piece of cloth and some paraffin. Those lamps were called, finyafuthi. The floor was smeared with a cow's dung.

My grandmother was an old-fashioned lady if I can compare her with us in the modern days. She was not working but she had a lot of poultry and she was selling eggs and chickens. She was an artist because she was making some reed mats and izithebe. In these days I can say izithebe is a tray that we serve people food on.

She was also an artist making stories. Every time during the day, actually from dawn to sunset but mostly at night, she was telling me some stories. It was also so enjoyable to wake up early before sunrise and make an early tea. It was called iti yentongo (a tea that is made before sunrise).

When I was older, I got married and I was depending on my husband financially. Now he is no more. He passed away eight years now. But I’m not suffering because I have a job with Keiskamma Art Project. I have my own money to support myself and children. I’m so proud of myself.

I first heard about Keiskamma Art Project from Nomonde and Melba and I followed them. I started embroidering with a small piece of material. I was told when you finish embroidering you get paid, so I was so happy to have a job. I got paid R20 at that time.

The late Nokwanda taught me how to embroider. She was so kind and caring and she had patience enough to teach me. I was so happy. I couldn’t believe myself that I can do such a thing as I was thinking it’s too hard to do it.

Keiskamma Art Project gives us back our dignity as women in South Africa and builds up our confidence. As women we must stand up for ourselves and take care of ourselves. We must go to the clinic for check-ups, like go and do a blood test and go and do a pap smear so that you know in time about your health. The Keiskamma Trust has some cars that take people to hospital for their check-ups and also when there is an emergency and someone gets sick or gets hurt the Trust car takes that person to hospital. You will never find the government ambulance. People have died in other villages waiting for an ambulance that doesn’t come. It will arrive the following day. Now in other villages there are some health workers employed by Keiskamma to go door to door to each and every household, teaching them about health and transferring them from home to the clinic, even for children for their immunisations. We also do health campaigns and invite health professionals to support us.

We have learnt that health is about our mental health too and that being creative is good for our mental health. We need to educate the young ones about this. We have youth programmes for boys and girls and we have a Keiskamma Music Academy that has spread to the whole of Peddie district schools. There is bus that collects kids and brings them to Hamburg to learn music.

We also have GBV (gender-based violence) workshops that teach us how to care for each other in marriage and relationships, so that no men abuse women and no women abuse men. We love and support each other. Wow, it’s so amazing now, there are no separate jobs for men and women in our Project. We do everything together, even the garden. It is a woman that does our garden and cuts our hedges.