Bridesmaids
This was an indigenous wedding ceremony. The bridesmaids help the bride to fetch water, collect firewood, and do other chores. They stay with her for a few days helping her to adapt in her new home.
© Hombakazi Mercy Nqandeka
Submission Statement:
This piece of work is the celebration of different components of Xhosa livelihoods. It is a celebration of women, who are the ones who run homes and hold up communities while men are mostly away working in far-away towns and provinces. It is women who raise children and mold the livelihoods of the Xhosa villages.
Author Background:
Hombakazi Mercy Nqandeka is an agriculturalist and a writer with an unquenchable passion for Xhosa heritage and culture. Born at Mqhele location in Xhorha (Elliotdale), she has a double master’s degree in agriculture and climate change transition from the National University of Ireland and the University of Montpellier SupAgro in France. Her latest book, published by Jonathan Ball Publishers, is titled Don’t Upset OoMalume: A Guide to Stepping up your Xhosa Game (2022). Her other books are The Dissonant Rainbow (2019) and To My Young Self (2020). She is currently doing a Ph.D. at Stellenbosch University in medicine and health sciences, focusing on indigenous health systems.
https://hombacrafts.com/
