Izinto ezo ooBawo - Things of our forefathers.

We have worked around bringing our culture to the city for many months but nothing we did ever felt right and deserving enough to display because we wanted more out of  ourselves and more out of this experience. Starting to work as a brand and finding new sources of inspiration around us that contributed to the story has been the hardest challenge yet because we want to keep a lot of the culture intact while still trying to appeal to a wider audience. Which is why we worked hard around this concept of bringing "Amakrwala" to the city and making people realise that our cultures should still be preserved no matter where we go.

Kwezi nyanga zigqithileyo besisebenza nzima sizama iindlela esingazisa ngayo isiko lethu ezidolophini ukuze sibonise abantu ubuhle bemvelaphi yethu. Kuye kwanzima ukufezekisa lonqweno kuba yonke into ebesiyenza ibingabonisi kakuhle ubunzulu nobuhle bembali yesiko lethu lwesiXhosa. Eyona nto eyeyanzma kakhulu ibikuzama ukufumana iindlela esinga dibanisa ngayo izinto esizifunde edolophini nezinto zesiko lethu, ngaphezulu konke oko sifuna ukubonisa isiko lethu kubantu bangaphandle koba silitshintshe. Ukuze sifezekise iminqweno yethu sizimisele ukusebenza ngokuzinikela kwaye nanzima ukubonisa abantu ukuba isiko alilahlwa kwaye line ndima eliyidlalayo ezimpilweni zethu nokuba sibaphi, siyephi nha.

Photographer: Siphesihle Mmusane.

Mborweni

The Xhosa culture is a culture which is passed down from generation to generation through stories which make reference to very specific practices, eras and people. Which is why we are such a proud and misunderstood people because we have very little of our history in textbooks and on the internet; it really takes quite a while before you're able to read about the Xhosa people. That's why it's so important for us as Xhosa people to speak the history of our people and teach the masses in order for people to understand better what goes into many of our cultural values and practices.

This is our friend Lwanda Bixa, who recently returned from the mountains on the 3rd of January 2015 and we've had an amazing time sharing and documenting the culture with him; we hope he becomes  familiar face which you end up loving and relating to.

Isiko lakwa Xhosa, lisiko eligqithiswe kwizi zukulwana nezi zukulwana ngama bali anobhekiso kwi zithethe, amaxesha nabantu. Kungako ke singabantu abaziqhenyayo naba ngaqondwayo kuba sine mbali encinci kwiincwadi nakwi ntantethi, kuthatha ixesha phambi kokuba ukwazi ukufunda ngabantu bakwa Xhosa. Kungako ke  kubalulekile ukuba thina singabantu bakwa Xhosa sithetha nge mbali yabantu bakuthi sifundise uninzi ukuze abantu baqondisise ukuba zintoni ezingena kakhulu kua xabiso nezi thethe zosiko lwethu.

Lo ngumhlobo wethu uLwanda Bixa, osando kuphuma esuthwini ngomhla wesi thathu (3rd) ku  nyanga a January 2015 sibene xesha elikhwankqisayo xa sabelana sibonisa isiko lethu naye, siyathemba ukuba akazunqaba emehlweni enu nani nizakuqgibela nimthanda, nikwazi ukuzalanisa kuye.

A book - Ingcwadi.

About a year ago, we started planning the arrival of our first booklet which would highlight style within our culture and how we can use style to relay the stories of the past in the present and hopefully use those to combat misconceptions our culture in the future. The booklet was a 16 page booklet (starting at the front cover to the back cover) and there were only 10 copies made. Through this we learnt a lot about planning and conceptuality because we want people to feel as though they can relate to the certain hardships and to create an authentically South African brand that addresses not only how we're seen through how we dress but also how South Africa is seen through it's practises.

There is so much more we need to learn about Art, Fashion, Design and Photography but slowly we're moving in the right direction.

Kunyaka ogqithileyo siqale ukucwangcusa incwadana yethu yokuqala, ncwadana leyo ikhankanya indlela ekunxitywa ngayo kwi siko lethu nokuba ndlela leyo singayi sebenzisa njani ukuzalanisa izinto zamandulo nezangoku kuze sikwazi kwazi ke ukususa indida ye siko lethu kwi kamva. Le ncwadana ibi namaphepha alishumi elinesithandathu (ukuqala kwi cwecwe eli ngasemva) kwakukho nje incwadana ezi lishumi ezenziwayo ezifana nale. Ngo ku safunda lukhulu ngoku ncwangisa nokuxela kuba sifuna abantu bazive bekwazi ukuzalana nama xesha anzima athile bakwaz ukusungula into yoMzantsi Afrika ubonwa njani xa kufika kwizithethe zawo.

Kusafuneka sifunde lukhulu ngeZobugcisa, limpahla, ukudweba nokuthwebula imfanelekiso kodwa ke kancinci siza sizakufikelela apho.

Abombhi - Miners.

The question about where suits in our culture come from has been a question asked many times. The reality is that it's still a fairly new concept because when our first kings became men, there weren't suits to display that they were but their acts and works within their communities were enough. Our forefathers used to leave home in search of work in mining areas such as Carltonville and would return wearing suits that represented being able to stand on their on feet and provide for their families.

Umbuzo wokuba umgaxelo usukaphi kwi siko lethu, ngu mbuzo ebekudala ubuzwa. Yinto entsha le kuba oobawo be bengena zinto ezithile ukubonisa isidima sokuba bangamadoda, kodwa ngezinto zabo ezilallini umntu ebekwazi ukungqina ubudoda bakhe. oobawo bebesuka ekhayeni bekhangela umsebenzi kwii ndawo zokombha ezifana nase Carltonville, babuye begaxele. Lonto ibibonisa ukwazi ukuzimela noku nakakela usapho lwakho. 

Photographer: Siphesihle Mmusane.

Kwa Xhosa.

In the Transkei, this is possibly the most important uniform that you can wear and show off with because it represents the willingness to work, not only for yourself and your family but other families in the village and that being a man of work is the most important element you can possess.

eTranskei ezimphahla zibalulekile ngaphezu kwazo zonke ezinye imphahla ongazi nxiba kuba ibonisa ukuvuyela umsebenzi, hai nje kwi siqu sakho naku sapho lwakho kodwa na kwa bantu be lalli yakho kuba ukuba yi Ndoda ngezenze yinto onga zingca ngayo ngaphezulu nokuba yi Ndoda yase hlathini.