One of the major inspirations for this specific series was a documentary I had watched based on child marriages in Africa. There was this one particular interview which was the core basis of thought. This young girl had actually said that she felt as though her father has valued the cows more than he had valued her life.
This is actually a popular idea within the Native African cultures where a father would view a son as a legacy as it would be through him the family line would be expand and it would be through the marriage of his daughter he would be able to enlarge his kraal or wealth. Although this may not be how all fathers view their children, it has been then experience of many children and especially young girls who have been forced to marriages and I just this to be an appalling practice. I have tried to convey this in the poem below:
A Daughter’s heart
 |
| Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2016). Rendering of A daughter's heart ring-pendant. |
A Daughter’s heart
Ndingumtu(I am a person), with dreams and desires
Ndingumtu, with a heart
Through you rip it
Still, Ndingumtu
What price have you placed on a lifetime?
Placed on a life time
Placed on a memory
Placed on the heart that loves you
What price have you received?
So I could love you no more?
Tata, when did you teach your heart to love no more?
Tata, when did you teach your heart to forget ndiyinyanma negazi lakho (your very flesh and blood)
To forget my heart yinhliziyo yakho (is your very heart)
Tata (daddy), when did you teach your heart to no longer see a daughter in me?
In order to deal with the issues addressed in this series, I will discuss as follows:
