Context (Display)
Exhibited: on display in the South Africa cube case, Maudslay Hall, from ?2012 onwards.


Event Date 2012
Author: Eleanor Beestin-Sheriff

Context (CMS Context)
This object was collected by Julia Tanner while undertaking fieldwork in South Africa from March-May 2000. The fieldwork was financed by UCMAA's Crowther-Beynon Fund, in order to research and update UCMAA's South African collections.
This brooch was purchased on 11 April 2000 at Masithandane, Joza township, Grahamstown.
This brooch was made by Emily Tikitise of the Masithandane project. Emily is from Grahamstown and started working with the project in 1995. She stated that the brooch took about two days to make.
Masithandane was winner of the 1997 Women in Tourism Award in the Eastern Cape. An information leaflet about the project reads, 'A group of indigent women, a heap of used plastic litter, a crochet hook or two, a pair of scissors and plenty of determination. That, in a nutshell, is how Grahamstown's Masithandane Association began. Born of a need to empower township women with skills which would enable them to generate their own income instead of depending on hand-outs, the Association was formed after a group of six women were encouraged to turn used plastic bags into attractive hats, bags and mats. Grahamstown - like many other South African towns - is plagued by the plastic litter problem. In an effort to clean up the township environment, needy folk obtaining meals from community kitchens in the area were encouraged to 'pay' for their meals by picking up a plastic bag and handing it in at the kitchen. With more than enough raw material to work with, the women set to work with a will to master a new skill. With great ingenuity and imagination, they were soon creating a variety of headgear, which found a ready market in the community. More women joined the group, and began experimenting with traditional beadwork. This too proved to be saleable. Outlets for their goods were found locally and overseas, and several large commissions for specific items were fulfilled - creating much-needed income for the women involved as all funds generated by the sale of the goods revert directly to the individual crafters. Along with their newly-acquired skills with hooks, plastic, beads and needles, the women rekindled a pride in their traditional Xhosa culture, and expanded the Association's activities to include making and wearing traditional garments. Word of their achievements spread. Visitors to Grahamstown - overseas tourists in particular - who purchased the Masithandane goods from local gift shops were keen to meet the women and see how the goods were made. Visitors to the converted shipping container in the township in which the women gathered to work were arranged. For many tourists, being greeted in song by women in traditional dress in an authentic township setting was their first taste of the 'real' South Africa. Thus a new tourist attraction for the city was created. Encouraged by their success, and keen to increase their involvement in tourism, the Masithandane Association decided to spread its wings a little further and provide traditional meals for visitors. Undaunted by the fact that they had no suitable premises, they prepared al fresco meals, cooking over open fires. These 'Xhosa picnics' have become a popular adjunct to their crafting activities and several tour groups now visit regularly. No longer a strictly female preserve, the Association now has several male members - including an Imbongi (Xhosa praise singer), a herbalist, a pipe-maker and an artist. Members of the Association have worked hard to acquire a building to use as a tourist centre-cum-community training centre, where visitors can see the members at work, enjoy a traditional meal and purchase handicrafts. Visitors wishing to visit a Shebeen or overnight in the township can be accommodated in members' homes by arrangement. Your support of the Masithandane Association will help its members realise their dream - to create a sustainable community project and encourage other community groups to do likewise'. (See a copy of this leaflet in UCMAA's archives).
The 13th International AIDS Conference was held in Durban, South Africa, in July 2000. South Africa has an estimated 4.2 million HIV infections, making it the world's largest infected population. Furthermore, it also has the fastest growing infection rate. For more information about HIV/AIDS in South Africa see the official web site of the HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease Directorate of the Department of Health: www.health.gov.za/hiv_aids/index.htm. Links are also provided to related local, African and international web sites. For further statistics see: www.redribbon.co.za, www.statssa.gov.za, www.mrc.ac.za; www.nrf.ac.za/sada/index.stm; www.polity.org.za; www.unaids.org; www.aids2000.co.za and www.who.int/emc-hiv/fact_sheets/.
(See related newspaper articles and documentation in UCMAA's archives).
Event Date 5/5/2012
Author: maa

Description (CMS Description)
Small square-shaped beadwork AIDS brooch, made on a safety pin. A yellow bead background frames a red bead AIDS ribbon. At the base are 3 triangular yellow and red bead tassels. These brooches are worn attached to clothing, often on the chest or upper arm. They are also commonly worn on hats.
Event Date 5/5/2012
Author: maa