Arts and Crafts – Beadwork – Alice Band, Bracelet, Earring, Glass Cord

Quote by Joan A. Broster from the book “Red Blanket Valley”.

Quote. “The same spirit of sensitive appreciation that is reflected in African art. The amaQaba feel in their hearts, the tribal beadwork, dances and songs. They love them, live them and, because they portray the soul of the people, they have power and beauty. Their chants, songs and dances exult in a passionate vigour that captures their life in all its joys and sorrows. Similarly, their beadwork is endowed with the same magic appeal of irresistible enchantment.

It differs from European art for, in our age of internationalism, art is no longer confined to a people or to a country but has acquired a general flavour. This advance was inevitable; general standards are applied, and a general flaccidity is the result. But this is not so in the Transkei where the ancient pattern of African life remains unchanged and where the amaQaba still retain the remnants of man’s beginnings and a faith that renders their art a vital force.

Thus, their art is not a separate activity or pastime but an integral part of their daily lives and as such truth emerges. There is no quest after originality as in European art but an age-old acceptance of tradition and customs in the framework of which the subject and spirit become a single translating life force. There is, therefore, no need to search for originality because the art itself is an expression of their concept of life – a life taken through all the human activities of birth, adolescence, marriage and death, leading finally to the highest form of being, the ancestral spirits to whom all are subordinated. Thus, in a re-creation of reality African art becomes a satisfying adventure in which the mind and spirit together express a beauty of form and colour, sound and movement, depth and rhythm.” Unquote.