HISTORY THROUGH ART


England and the feats of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Bayeux and Keiskamma tapestries are embroidered and not woven, so technically they are embroidery pieces, not tapestries. The women of Hamburg combined the Bayeux stem and their own repertoire of stitches. It has an added richness from its


intricate beadwork, reflecting Africa’s cultural heritage. Like the Bayeux, the Keiskamma is considered to be at once an artwork and a historical document: visual journeys through a people’s history. Employing the same narrative


structure, the Keiskamma tapestry tells the country’s turbulent history from the perspective of the women


who embroidered it. The first panel shows the rock art of the San, the earliest inhabitants of the Cape. It then traces the arrival of the European settlers and their conflicts with the Xhosa people in the Eastern Cape region. The southward-moving Xhosa clans were confronted by northward- travelling white farmers, traders and colonizers. The clash of cultures that tragically unfolded through numerous frontier wars and resulted in submission and subjugation are reflected in the work, as well as the apartheid system of “separate development” that followed.


From conflict to unity The tapestry chronicles the country’s many years of political turmoil and


culminates in a theme of peace and restoration. The last panel is a triumphant ending, celebrating the first democratic elections in April 1994 and the ensuing freedom of all South Africans. Walking the length of the tapestry


through the passages of Parliament is like walking the timeline of South Africa’s history. The women of Keiskamma, still


faced with social fragmentation and rural poverty, stand tall when they embrace the chronicles of their distant and recent past. The Keiskamma tapestry is the embodiment of our country’s political struggles and ultimate democratic resolution. The long panels show the main political events interspersed with


rural scenes of kraals and cattle, and the small panels highlight prominent individuals. Interestingly, H.F. Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid, is shown at the Johannesburg Rand Show in 1961, the site of the first assassination attempt against him. Next to him is a depiction of former President Nelson Mandela burning his pass book during the African National Congress’s 1952 defiance campaign. It is deeply symbolic that the work


is displayed in the institution from which the majority of the country’s people were excluded for so long, and where discriminatory legislation was passed by successive governments. In this artwork, new and old histories are brought together.


The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One - South Africa | 95


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