The Eyes Want It: Art From Zimbabwe

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was in Harare last week and I visited Zimbabwe's National Gallery. I want everything I see there. I managed to take just a few pictures because once I began clicking away a gallery caretaker came and told me "no pictures please". But still, here you go: see a little of what my eyes want.

Jacarandas in Bloom

 

 

The Jacarandas are in bloom in Harare.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Awesome Victoria Falls. It's best seen from the Zimbabwean side.

Sarah Walmsley

 

 

 

Yesterday, I just passed through JoBerg on my way to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and discovered some art work.  I like Sarah Walmsley's glass and bronze sculptures. Sarah is a post-graduate student at SoMAD, the School of Music Art and Design at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. She says she likes capturing poses that are graceful and full of poise yet unself-conscious and unexpectedly observed. Sometimes you pass a coffee shop or a bus stop and you see a lady artlessly arranged with no intention to be elegantly seated and the lines of her body, owing to its arrangement are so sleek and graceful you wish you could be like her. That's what I see in some of Sarah's sculptures. Sarah's work is on sale here. I'll be in Zimbabwe all week.

Ndidi Emefiele

Omenka Gallery

Zaaf's World

 

You are misled by Western media a lot. Of course, you might have figured this out by now. Every time I go to Africa I have to thank God for the opportunity to travel and to see the world for myself and I am happy to be able to form my own opinions. Take Ethiopia, for example. When most people think of Ethiopia they think famine or starving children. But Ethiopia is actually a country that is doing well and which has smart young people so ready to take their country to the next level. There is a great construction boom happening, there is all sorts of entrepreneurship and small businesses just waiting for an investor. I mean Ethiopia has good wine...yeah wine, who knew? Another major example is ZAAF, a wonderful leather goods and accessories business founded by the young and energetic Abai Schulze. Ethiopian leather is a valued commodity and so she is smart for combining her talented design sense and taking Ethiopian leather to the next level. I love her designs. I visited her shop while I was in Ethiopia last week. I wish this talented entrepreneur all the success in the world. Check out ZAAF collection online. 

Pretty Woman

 I am blogging from Ethiopia this morning. I am in Addis Ababa. I also have no voice. When I came home from Lithuania last week I came home with a cold. Over the weekend I overworked and the cold got worse. So now, here I am in Addis and I am supposed to lead a workshop on Thursday and Friday and I have no voice! I am resting all day today and sipping a disgusting concoction of garlic boiled with lemon and ginger and honey.

 

Anyway, I came here to tell you that I have developed a thing of staring unashamedly at the Ethiopian women. They are petite in stature and have exquisite features. Beautiful lips, gorgeous eyes, chiseled-looking noses,  all set in a symmetrical face. They carry features similar to Iman's, no? Many assume Iman is Ethiopian too, she is Somalian. But the women from East Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and even Kenya) carry similar facial features.

I think most of you know of Liya Kebede. She is Ethiopian. Anyway, here is Liya (above) in Ethiopia. She has founded a brand of clothing made from woven Ethiopian cotton. It's called LemLem NYC. Five per cent of the proceeds from all sales goes to Liya Kebede's Foundation. They do scarves, dresses, blouses/shirts...it's all flowy, light, beautiful and very reminiscent of Ethiopia. Speaking of pretty women: aren't the women in Lemlem's ads beauuuutiiiful?

On the agenda in Addis this week (if I ever get over my throat situation...) I'll do my workshops and bond with my colleagues in law. Also, I shall go to the market and explore and dine out with my Sistren who is Ugandan but lives here in Addis with her beautiful, young family.

 

The Alternative Emerald: Malachite

Emeralds are super expensive. When I lived in Barbados I used to go to the Colombian Emeralds store on Broad Street to sigh dramatically over the emerald jewellery. I am not likely to own a significant piece of emerald jewellery soon but I love the shimmery and dense green colours of this precious gemstone when it is set against my skin. On my trip to Southern Africa in April I decided that I could let go of my emerald dreams and live some malachite reality instead. I bought six malachite bangles at Green Market Square in Cape Town. Malachite is a semi-precious gemstone very similar in colour to emeralds and I am sure most of you have seen it incorporated into design.

 

 

Image from Simplified Bee

 

You'll run out to get some malachite when you hear that it brings wealth, peace, prosperity and abundance, healing, serenity and calm.

 

 

 

1stDibs

 

Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

 

Malachite is a Russian favourite. The country has huge deposits of the stuff.

 

 

 

I don't feel the colour is soothing when incorporated in interior décor. I think it's lively and vibrant and I could see how faux treatments like digitally printed malachite slabs are now the rage in Italian productions.  Malachite is also toxic when wet so better go far the digitally printed clay slabs in your bathroom. I also love the wallpaper prints too.

What I Discovered in Zimbabwe

I made some yummy discoveries for my skin and eyes in Zimbabwe. I had always bought Vaseline for me feet, especially for those winter months. I would smother my feet in Vaseline and cover them in socks on winter nights so that when the Spring came, I would have really soft feet to show off in my sandals. I can seldom find Vaseline in Brussels and I usually stock up on it when I travel to the US. Now? Forget that! I'll be buying all my Vaseline in Southern Africa. The Vaseline here comes with vitamin E, aloe vera or coco butter. Gah!!! When I saw this in the supermarket in Zimbabwe last week I bought a whole big package. I have started to use it and I have to tell you: this ain't no old school Vaseline. It's amazing for my skin. I also bought a bottle of pure glycerine. So good!

And my eyes. Colour must have been discovered in Africa. My eyes love the paintings from First Floor Gallery in Harare. I also discovered ebony. In Jamaica we have teak, cedar, mahogany and cherry wood but I had never owned anything in ebony and I bought some ebony bowls.

Gah! Fancy driving down a lavender canopied road. Much love to Harare!  The green city without even trying!