Her life’s built on art
JOBURG – The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture honours sculptor Noria Mabasa with a launch of a book about her journey.
Talking in her native Tshivenda language, Noria Mabasa recalled how she started her art as a sculptor in a rural village of Limpopo.
The book about the life of the 81-year-old sculptor was launched on 1 August at Constitution Hill by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture simultaneously with the activation of Women’s Month.
A thankful and honoured Mabaso uses dead wood and clay to create artworks. She also uses her art to raise awareness about social issues in Africa, access to education and gender-based violence issues.
She recalled that most people couldn’t believe how her art started. “You won’t believe it at all, art is like dust, you need a keen eye to appreciate its value,” she said.
Mabasa started her art after nine years of being sick. At the time she had recurring dreams about rivers, tree trunks, and images that ‘asked to come from inside the tree trunks’.
She would wake up, collect wood, carve sculptures, and then give them away. She said while crafting her art she gradually healed from her nine years of illness. Living in abject poverty, her ancestors came to her through her dreams and told her that art would be her source of income that could help her raise her children.
“Back in 1974, people used to laugh at me when I was selling my sculptures at Tshilidzini Hospital in Venda,” she said.
She continued selling her sculptures and she was finally able to build a home and provide for her children. She has since travelled the world and owns a sculpture garden in Limpopo.
Mabasa also insisted that the government should help artists such as her to impart their knowledge to the next generation before they die.
“I would love us to help these young ones. Imagine leaving the world with your talent, without conveying it to the next generation.
“Even God will punish me for not giving my talent to the next generation.”
Mabasa said she couldn’t express herself well in English but her hands spoke an English that was understood in the whole world.
Minister Nathi Mthethwa hailed Noria Mabaso and said she crafted wood to tell a tale. “It was important that she be celebrated in this manner because her story must be told and her legacy must live on,” he added.
Mthethwa said it was the plan of the department to document the country’s stories. “We started with the two living legends Mma Noria Mabasa and Dr Esther Mahlangu. Let’s ensure that we impart the knowledge to the young generation.”
The minister said the department was launching these books because the narrative of South African stories was important. “The story of Noria Mabasa and Dr Esther Mahlangu is important for the international community to truly understand the contribution of our country and its artists to the wealth of world culture. It is what sets us apart and makes us unique.”
The department was scheduled to launch two books but Mahlangu apparently couldn’t make it to the event due to unforeseen circumstances. This year’s Women’s Month was launched under the theme 25 Years of Democracy – Growing South Africa Together for Women’s Emancipation.
The department is in the final stages of establishing the Publishing Hub, which will play a critical role in promoting a culture of writing and reading, and literary development as well as expanding the work of the Living Human Treasures Project.
Mahlangu is an artist who is world-famous for her bold large-scale contemporary paintings that reference her Ndebele heritage. Mabasa is a world-renowned artist who works primarily in ceramic and wood sculpture, influenced by her heritage. According to the department, this type of content could be exactly what is needed to grow active book readers.
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