HISTORY THROUGH ART


Left: The tapestry image of the Stavenisse shipwreck in 1686. Right: The sky filled with vultures when the cattle were being killed.


call people together for an indaba (group discussion). It is a reminder that Parliament remains the place where many different voices are allowed to be heard.


Both items are made of 18-carat gold, adorned with splendid minerals, gemstones, platinum and diamonds, to symbolize the country’s rich mineral resources. The gold head of the Black Rod is in the shape of South Africa’s national flower, the Giant or King Protea. This, together with the indigenous South African hardwoods used, celebrates the natural and pure beauty of our country.


South Africa’s two foremost symbols of state, the national Coat of Arms and the national flag, are


included in both items. The South African flag was made by a local bead artist, using hundreds of platinum, 18-ct yellow gold and coloured glass beads. The beadwork piece also reflects the country’s rich cultural heritage.


Other symbols include: an open constitution containing all 11 official languages, two clasping hands to symbolize peace and co-operation, a hand-chiseled relief of various occupations which shows the diversity of our people and a circle of San rock-art figures, honouring the first inhabitants of our land.


Embroidering a history The Keiskamma tapestry was


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


begun in 2000 by Dr Carol Hofmeyr, a medical doctor and artist, as an embroidery project for the impoverished rural village of Hamburg on the banks of the Keiskamma River. Many of the towns in the area were named after the home towns of German settlers in the 19th century. The project was intended to help the very many unemployed local women of the region, empower them and possibly provide therapy in the form of art.


The Keiskamma tapestry was their first major artwork, completed in 2004. They have since produced several other iconic large-scale embroidery pieces. The project was funded by the National Department of


Arts and Culture and a large number of private donors. The names of the artists and the donors are recorded along the lower edges of the tapestry. The work was purchased by the Standard Bank, and the earnings went direct to the project to help sustain and develop it. Standard Bank has presented the tapestry to Parliament on long-term loan. It has been on permanent display since 2005, winding through the Old Assembly entrance, lobby and ground floor passages.


The artists of Keiskamma were encouraged by the famous Bayeux tapestry crafted in England in the 11th century to chronicle the Norman conquest of Anglo-Saxon


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