Mdukatshani - Fifty Years of Beading

“But look at those earrings – a sumptuous shower of turquoise” worn by the best-dresssed woman in the world.

CELEBRITIES None of the celebrities who have worn our beads ever knew anything about the project. And none of the women who crafted the beads had ever heard of the celebrities. Paloma Picasso, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Princess Michael of Kent ... Who were they? Did it matter? All that mattered to the women was steady work, not occasional pieces on famous necks far from the world of the valley. None of the women had ever been beyond Tugela Ferry when a group made their first trip to town in 1981. They saw many marvels on the city streets, but their most lasting impression was the number of cars. Where had all the cars come from? The journey itself would be interminable with frequent stops on the side of the road for the women to take turns being sick. Unaccustomed as they were to any kind of travel they were car sick all the way there – and back. They still laugh, remembering. Those were the old days, once upon a time, before taxis made everyone a traveller. Those were also the days of really big orders that catered to the wealthy on cruise ships. When sanctions stopped cruise ships docking at our ports, galleries closed, or struggled to survive, with an immediate effect on orders. Although sanctions were aimed at the collapse of apartheid, the crafters were collateral damage. In 1986 one of our customers re- opened her shop in London, and it was here that celebrities discovered our beads, and we started doing orders for Harrods. When the London shop too, eventually closed, it was due to recession, not sanctions. Craft sales are dependent on good times, and if our history were plotted as lines on a graph it would follow the wider economy. We have endured repeat recessions over 50 years, but we are still here holding on. Our Jubilee celebrates the courage of the crafters, their laughter in hard times, their willingness to try, and the ongoing faith that carries them along in the simple acts of every day.

Bongile Mavundla a statuesque model for a love girdle, a favourite article for wealthy Americans who spent lavishly on gifts when cruise ships docked in Cape Town or Durban. Her daughter Qwaqaza stands with her.

Mdukatshani – Fifty Years of Beading

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