"Our tapestry, quite deliberately, is different." These were the words of Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Salem Badat during the unveiling of a tapestry that replaced the portraits of the institution's former vice-chancellors in its Council Chamber last Thursday.
"Our tapestry, quite deliberately, is different." These were the words of Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Salem Badat during the unveiling of a tapestry that replaced the portraits of the institution's former vice-chancellors in its Council Chamber last Thursday.
The colourful tapestry that depicts the history and present of both Grahamstown and the university was designed and made by the Hamburg-based Keiskamma Arts Project. Noseti Makubalo did the foundation drawings and was responsible for the coordination of its embroidery.
Its beadwork was organised by Caroline Nyongo and the backing and binding of the work was undertaken by Nkosazana Betani. Badat said it was a privilege to have a tapestry of such beauty, born of the expertise, skill and toil of the women of the project, adorn the Council Chamber.
"All too frequently the written words, art work and the like that an institution produces about itself lapses into a hagiography that is discomforting because of the way it does violence to memories of historical facts and realities," Badat said.
He said the tapestry was intended to express the social purposes that are the rationale for their existence, the geography and environment of the university. He said it is also intended to express where the institution has come from, the road it has travelled and where it is today.
Badat told the gathering that three years ago the institution began a journey, in which it openly and publicly acknowledged various shameful and regrettable institutional actions during apartheid and unreservedly apologised to all those wronged, harmed and hurt by its failings and harmful actions.
The tapestry depicts Grahamstown history, including clashes between the British Settlers and amaXhosa, the stories of Makana on Robben Island and his unsuccessful attempt to escape to the release of Mandela and the changes that took place in the institution thereafter.
Rhodes University's Professor Brenda Schmahmann told the gathering that the university’s decision to approach the Keiskamma Art Project was because works that the project had undertaken previously were of exceptional quality.
"Their first large-scale piece was the Keiskamma Tapestry, a work over 120 metres long and comprising 73 panels, which is on permanent display in Parliament." she said. "A response to the famous Bayeux Tapestry which represented events leading up to the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Keiskamma Tapestry depicts the history of the Eastern Cape and focuses especially on the impact of the Frontier wars."
She said the work makes reference to the Bayeux Tapestry, but in the context of the history of Rhodes University. Makubalo became emotional when explaining the details of the tapestry. She told Grocott's Mail that she was happy because the tapestry would be seen by the younger generation. "This will also help local schools to teach children about the history of their town," she said.
She said they had started the work in March this year and finished it in September. "There were not too much difficulties in doing the work, but we were under pressure because we were not sure whether the university was going to like it." Carol Hofmeyer, the Keiskamma Trust's director, who facilitated the project and helped Makubalo collect information for the storyline, said Schmahmann, who knew about their work and had written about it, suggested them to the university.
"We are very proud of our work," she said. "We came here and brought our work to get comments, and we are happy that they liked it."
