Inspiration

The Living Grave Series is a commentary based on miscarriage narratives. As previously stated, 10 to 25 percent of documented pregnancies result in a miscarriages, and this number is even higher when it comes to younger girls, predominately in cases of child marriages.

Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2019).  The Living Grave Series. Beaded neckpiece. 

Due to the sensitivity of the subject, I have decided to reply mainly on the Series title as a director for the viewer, similarly to the narrative design principles expressed by Metcalf and adopted by Byrne.  I have listed below my design outputs.

a. Fold-formed version
b. Beaded version

Beaded version

For the beaded version of The Living Grave Series, I had also decided to use the same concept of the v shape when structuring the piece, as seen in figure 1. Once again trying not to create a morbid manifestation of the narrative, I chose to place the emphasis of how this unborn seed (a bead) is attached to this piece anchoring its development and forming part of who she will become. 

Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2019). The living grave series, beaded neckpiece.  

For the third version of the series seen in figure 2, I wanted to play with the idea of that there are all these women who all have had a unborn soul attached to them and although they may come from different walks of life, their pain somehow makes them through their grief. I tried to express the idea of the many unborn children through the use of the multiple and the lives of the women is expressed through the weaving which goes in multiple directions yet meeting at certain points in the formation.  

Figure 2: Ndongeni, S (2018). The Living grave series, Silver and red beaded neckpiece.

Fold formed version

For the Silver part of the series, I have tried to play around with the idea that a woman is flowering during the course of her pregnancy and have expressed this through the use of fold formed leaves. I then decided to place the leaves in a bead shape as though to imitate the uterus shape of female anatomy as seen in an earlier post. 

Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2019). Miscarriage Series, fold-formed pendants.

The I also decided have settings hang at the bottom of the piece so as to signify this unborn life which is eternally tied to that of it’s mother, forever forming part of her life. I tried not to I will be setting a pear-shaped Quart in the setting seen on the left in figure one and a piece of red shwe-shwe in the piece on the right. These are meant to signify the life lost, while the red beadwork to be attached to the jumprings instead of a chain will signify the umbilical cord, while also an idea adopted from Xhosa beadwork. 

Miscarriages

The technical definition for miscarriage is when an embryo or fetus perishes before is exceeds the 20th week pregnancy. According to research around 10 -25% of pregnancies result in a miscarriage. (PPFA, 2019; Staff, 2019).  However, miscarriages like suicide have long been part of the "unspoken" issues which plague our communities, as though it were an illness which spread when it was spoken about.

Within society, even in the Xhosa communities, it was almost disgraceful for a woman to be unable to conceive and give birth to a healthy child. Due to lack of available information, women ended up being made to feel as though they were failures when found to be barren, as though she somehow failed at doing the one thing that her body was designed for. A real woman ought to be able to bring forth life, isn't she?

   Figure 1 Connie Brichford (2016) Female Anatomy. [ONLINE]

As seen in figure 1, the female anatomy unlike that of a man, is designed to conceive, carry and give birth to life (Brichford, 2016). 

ILobola/ bride price

The practice of paying lobola or dowry is one which is regarded as an integral part of many African marriages; it is, in fact, a practice which is not limited or exclusive to African cultures but is part of other cultures in the world such as the Indian culture and the Jewish people, who refer to it as dowry  (Gullapalli, 2009) (Liebenberg,n.d.).

 

Figure 1 Tina, T. (2018) Three uncles negotiating lobola. [ONLINE] ^[1]

1. Positives

The importance of the payment of the bridal price is seen as an act of respect for the bride and her family; as it is seen as a gesture of gratitude while also displaying his fidelity and commitment to his bride and also displaying good care of her by proving that he values her. Contrary to many false beliefs, the bride price is not a payment of the daughter nor is it the purchase of a bride, it is, however, a gesture which displayed the man would be capable of providing for the bride and that he and his family were people of substance (Magubane, 2001). Also, it was a security bond posted by or on behalf of the bridegroom as a pledge of good treatment; a man was not likely to abandon such a substantial investment, and in most societies, if a divorce resulted because of abuse and ill-treatment, all or most of the lobola was forfeited.

 

Since lobola is a gesture most families do not require the full payment to be made before marriage as it is believed that since no true price can be placed on their priceless daughter. A man can never fully pay lobola but is however responsible to make payments (for a lack of word) to the family for life. These payments come in the form of making sure that the needs and wants of the bride’s family are taken care of when they arise, these thus count as the bottomless lobola price the husband is to pay for the daughter he has taken as a wife (Ngema, 2013).

  i.            Negatives

Although meant to be a gesture of gratitude and a symbol that the daughter will be well taken care of; like many things within society this practice has been abused and the process has been polluted by many people to satisfy their own personal desires and interests. These have been done through the demand of a bridal price which is beyond the means of what the man can afford, or in some cases families may require the man to pay an amount which is too high as the family considers their own personal needs and wants.

In other instances, the process becomes tainted as the daughter becomes a bargaining chip or even an object to be sold to the highest bidder and her family disregards what is in the best interest of their daughter to make money off her marriage. An example of such cases would be the process or the marriage which is the result of ukuthwala (bridal abduction).

Another way the best interest of the bride does not play a key factor is when the family forces her to marry for money or status rather than to marry for love. This type of marriage is then regarded as forced marriage, rather than arranged marriage.

The payment of lobola has been one of the many factors within the African native cultures which has aided in the difficulty of divorce. With a process so flawed and ungoverned by neither law nor many restrictions besides what families decide is just and fair payment, should such a practice be found to be relevant in this contemporary and liberal world we live in? It actually should still be practiced as there are several consequences that are directly linked to the refusal to partake in the practice. One of these being that the couple may not be fully received by both families if they do not choose to adhere or observe important cultural practices. The wife may be ostracized by other family members of the husband’s family and may not be considered a true makoti within the family.

Child marriage

Child marriage was and still is another marriage form within the Xhosa culture which brings about much concern. In the past and in many rural places with South Africa and the world, the girls who enter such marriages may be even as young as eight years old or even nine years old (Silva-de-Alwis, 2008). This in terms is an issue as there many disadvantages which are associated with child marriages such as miscarriages.

This marriage type caught my attention as throughout history and the modern day, large numbers of young girls are forced into entering such marriages. Regardless of child laws and children’s rights which are I place, however millions of girls still fall through the cracks and in many cases it is their own parents who push them through the cracks. (Anon., 2018) (South African Abductions: young girls forced into marriage, n.d.)

 To further tie this issue to the report is the fact that in some cases these young girls entered these marriages as a result of abduction.  Hence when the report addresses child marriages, it is referring to any marriage which has occurred involving persons or a person under the age of 18.

Figure 1 Human rights brief. #ChildNotBride protest. [ONLINE]^[1]