Weaver Allina Ndebele who trained at The Rorke's Drift Art and Craft Centre by Lillian Gray
Allina Ndebele is a super-talented weaver who creates tapestries that capture the traditions and stories of the Zulu tribe. It's truly remarkable how she managed to become a respected artist, despite facing many challenges. She grew up in a traditional rural setting, where unfair rules from the time of Colonialism and Apartheid held her back. Plus, she had to deal with poverty. But guess what? Allina didn't let any of that stop her!
Today, she is celebrated and honoured for her unique style and storytelling in her tapestries. She's one of the most famous female artists to come out of Rorke's Drift Art and Craft Centre in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.
In this video, I'll take you through Allina's biography, discuss her weaving process, and talk about seven characteristics of her tapestries. And to top it off, I'll dive deep into two of her most famous works: "The Tree of Life” and "Nqamatshe and his muti magics."
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:28 Biography against all odds
06:43 Building a traditional home
08:41 Recognitions, exhibitions and awards
09:08 Allina’s Weaving Process
11:00 7 Characteristics of her work
11:04 Traditional Storytelling
13:41 The ordered Homestead
16:07 Water
19:38 Shells
21:32 Use of Pattern & Repetition
23:46 Use of Colour
25:03 Central Composition & shallow depth of field
26:08 Two Tapestries you should know by artist Allina Ndebele
26:13 Nqamatshe and his muti magics
29:03 The Tree of Life / Isihlahla Sempilo
33:49 Conclusion
Resources
Allina Ndebele: Weaver-designer. 1985. Exhibition catalogue for ‘Tapestries by Allina Ndebele’, 6 November-6 December 1985. Pretoria: Pretoria Art Museum.
Berglund, A-I. 1989. Zulu thought patterns and symbolism, revised edition. London: Hurst and Company.
Biyela, N.G. 2009. Popular predictor birds in Zulu culture.
Hobbs, P. 2004. Shifting paradigms in printmaking practice at the Evangelical Lutheran Church Art and Craft Centre, Rorke’s Drift, 1962-1976. MA thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Hobbs, P. and N. Leibhammer. 2004. Allina Ndebele and the increasing picture. In Veterans of KwaZulu-Natal, ed. J. Addleson. [CD Rom]. Durban: Durban Art Gallery.
Hobbs, P. and N. Leibhammer. 2011. Water and space: Unravelling meaning in the weavings of Allina Ndebele. de arte 83:5-20.
Hobbs, P. and E. Rankin. 2003. Rorke’s Drift: Empowering prints. Cape Town: Double Storey Books.
Hofmeyr, I. 1993. ‘We spend our years as a tale that is told’: Oral historical narrative in a South African chiefdom. Portsmouth: Heinemann; Johannesburg: Wits University Press; London: Currey.
Ndebele, A. n.d. The Tree of Life: Tapestry story. Transcribed by Nokuthulo Ndebele. Caja Stort files, Eshowe.
Ndebele, A. 2013. Personal interview with the author, 15 December, Swart Umfolozi. Ndebele, A. 2013/14. Telephonic interviews with the author, 15 December-20 April, Swart Umfolozi.
Roberts, A. 1969. Birds of South Africa. Revised edition, seventh impression. Cape Town: Trustees of the South African Bird Book Fund.
Tree of Life. 1965. Isihlahla Sempilo 1(September/ October):1. Philippa Hobbs files, Johannesburg.
Zulu, B.S. 2002. From the lüneburger heide to northern Zululand: A history of the encounter between the settlers, the Hermannsburg missionaries, the amakhosi and their people, with special reference to four mission stations in northern Zululand (1860-1913). MT thesis, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/bitstream/ handle/11250/161941/Zulu_mthesis_2002. pdf?sequence=1 (accessed 10 January 2014).
Пікірлер: 33
How insightful Lillian. Thank you for taking the time to educate us on these important topics.
I'm blown away by Allina's technical skills. How on earth did she manage to depict such complex stories, free hand!
@LillianGrayArt
Жыл бұрын
Yes it is indeed remarkable.
Also, how delightful to hear some of the Zulu culture's traditional stories for the very first time.
@LillianGrayArt
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much. There are so many stories lost.
Wow, Lillian your video on Allina Ndebele was absolutely captivating! I had heard of Rorkes drift but never knew much about Allina, but your in-depth exploration of her life and achievements truly opened my eyes. It's inspiring to learn about strong, influential women who have made significant contributions to their communities. Allina Ndebele's dedication to education and her fight for equality is commendable. Thank you for shedding light on her story and bringing her legacy to the forefront. Keep up the fantastic work
@LillianGrayArt
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, Jaylin. I am glad you enjoyed it. This information is so difficult to come by.
This is my first time hearing about Allina Ndebele....so glad I found this video. I learned so much! Would recommend this to anyone who loves local art history
@LillianGrayArt
Жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
Incredible artistic process and talent!
@LillianGrayArt
7 ай бұрын
Thank you. I wish we had more Zulu Folklore stories.
Its always an honor to see celebrations of South african artists.
@LillianGrayArt
7 ай бұрын
Thank you.
What an excellent video. Allina Ndebele has some amazing skills! A lovely story is told about this incredible artist.
@LillianGrayArt
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wowza!! This is such an in depth video of Allina Ndebele. I absolutely love you break down the concepts and visualize it through these amazing depictions... This 100% helped me remember key details for my IEB Matric final exams for Visual Arts! Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into these videos!
@LillianGrayArt
7 ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
Wow that was interesting. I never knew there was so much depth in the Zulu mythology! Thanks for sharing...
@LillianGrayArt
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
Impressive may His Grace abound👌🙏
So talented I always get inspired wish I lived closer to Send my kids
@LillianGrayArt
7 ай бұрын
Thank you for the kind words.
Always love learning something new about other artists!
@LillianGrayArt
7 ай бұрын
Thank you so much.
Thank you for sharing, it"s truly inspiring, #lilliangrayart
@LillianGrayArt
Жыл бұрын
You are so welcome!
Incredible! I went to do a paint night at Lillian Gray and let me tell You, I am humbled and I have a completely new respect for art and artists 😊
@LillianGrayArt
7 ай бұрын
That is awesome! Hope to see you at our studio again soon.
My second request to stop your unlawful use of my photographs or those commissioned by me. Kindly refer to the copyright act.
@LillianGrayArt
Ай бұрын
The purpose of these videos has always been to provide free education to all the high school kids in South Africa and create awareness of talented South African Artists. The goal has never been to make money. Monotasation on these videos has been switched off. All the sources are listed and credited on our blog posts. Our Blog is also not monetised. You are referenced propperly.
@LillianGrayArt
Ай бұрын
Resources Allina Ndebele: Weaver-designer. 1985. Exhibition catalogue for ‘Tapestries by Allina Ndebele’, 6 November-6 December 1985. Pretoria: Pretoria Art Museum. Berglund, A-I. 1989. Zulu thought patterns and symbolism, revised edition. London: Hurst and Company. Biyela, N.G. 2009. Popular predictor birds in Zulu culture. Hobbs, P. 2004. Shifting paradigms in printmaking practice at the Evangelical Lutheran Church Art and Craft Centre, Rorke’s Drift, 1962-1976. MA thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Hobbs, P. and N. Leibhammer. 2004. Allina Ndebele and the increasing picture. In Veterans of KwaZulu-Natal, ed. J. Addleson. [CD Rom]. Durban: Durban Art Gallery. Hobbs, P. and N. Leibhammer. 2011. Water and space: Unravelling meaning in the weavings of Allina Ndebele. de arte 83:5-20. Hobbs, P. and E. Rankin. 2003. Rorke’s Drift: Empowering prints. Cape Town: Double Storey Books. Hofmeyr, I. 1993. ‘We spend our years as a tale that is told’: Oral historical narrative in a South African chiefdom. Portsmouth: Heinemann; Johannesburg: Wits University Press; London: Currey. Ndebele, A. n.d. The Tree of Life: Tapestry story. Transcribed by Nokuthulo Ndebele. Caja Stort files, Eshowe. Ndebele, A. 2013. Personal interview with the author, 15 December, Swart Umfolozi. Ndebele, A. 2013/14. Telephonic interviews with the author, 15 December-20 April, Swart Umfolozi. Roberts, A. 1969. Birds of South Africa. Revised edition, seventh impression. Cape Town: Trustees of the South African Bird Book Fund. Tree of Life. 1965. Isihlahla Sempilo 1(September/ October):1. Philippa Hobbs files, Johannesburg. Zulu, B.S. 2002. From the lüneburger heide to northern Zululand: A history of the encounter between the settlers, the Hermannsburg missionaries, the amakhosi and their people, with special reference to four mission stations in northern Zululand (1860-1913). MT thesis, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/bitstream/ handle/11250/161941/Zulu_mthesis_2002. pdf?sequence=1 (accessed 10 January 2014).
Kindly remove all my personal photographs from your website, which you are now monetising and for which you did not seek my permission to use.
@LillianGrayArt
10 ай бұрын
Hello Philippa The purpose of these videos have always been to provide free education to all the high school kids in South Africa and create awareness of talented South African Artists. The goal has never been to make money. Monotasation on these videos has been switched off. On our blog posts are all the sources listed and credited.