Chapter 4

Walking around malls this past Saturday, looking for a gift for a dear friend of mine, I noticed how some window displays have become impersonal and harsh to the eye. People have become so money hungry that they have forgotten about their customers. You may have beautiful articles in your store, but if they are not visible and appealing, they will not get bought. The eyes are the windows to a person's heart. Therefore a window display should lure the eye. Fashion is a medium of communication.

Africans have used their clothes to communicate for millennia. The colourful regalia, like the Zulu isidwaba (cow-hide skirt) and other forms of apparel made of cloth and textile like the Tsonga xibelani (knee length layered skirt), are decorated with beads. Every design and pattern has a specific literal and figurative or poetic meaning and represents an artistic attitude. Cultural values in the symbolic language expresses rank, religion and politics. Even though cultures have evolved to meet modern aesthetics, the meanings of the beadwork are still relatively relevant. There's nothing that declares love like a Zulu love letter. The secret is in the 7 colour beadwork. Each colour has a meaning. I now understand why we South Africans love "7 colours" (for those who do not know, it's a meal with all the food groups). I can't wait for Christmas.

I choose to celebrate being an African this heritage month through fashion. One particular accessory that I dedicate to you is a Zulu love letter. I am not Zulu, but I speak the language well. There are two colours that stand out in my letter and they are black (stands for unity and regeneration) and white (stands for spiritual love and purity). The other colours will be mentioned in the upcoming articles. The recent upsurge of racial intolerance and the xenophobic attacks of 2015 in South Africa are testimonies that the spirit of ubuntu (unity) is disappearing. I call upon Africans to reunite! Love one another as you love yourselves.