“This piece began as a family meeting, talking about the need to honour our late grandmother through the ritual of itea. iTea is a ritual in the Xhosa culture done to honour those who have passed; in my family, it is performed specifically to remember a matriarch; it is a call to the spirit of that mother, grandmother… to return home. 

The work explores this, asking how do you perform itea? So I started collecting teabags, living with them in my room, watching, playing with them, and setting time to be with my grannies in this way.  

One day after months of collecting teabags, they lay on the floor in my room, and a friend of mine came in. 

We spoke about the teabags, itea the ritual and to my surprise, he narrates a story of someone coming to him and saying ‘unesimnyama, funkeke wenze itea for omakhulu bakho’ and I hit me in that moment that I had been working with the antidote all this time, that this work, itea liyeza. 

With this quilt, I entered into a series of meditations dedicated to the act of remembering, weaving together the memories and inviting my family members into this space for collective remembering. This durational piece is a dedication of time and putting my body to task in this act.” - Yonela Makoba

Ithemba 

“Mhla kufika ikhwezi umntu uyohamba nesithunzi sakhe ngoxolo When the morning star, a new day comes a person will walk with their shadow in peace.

This is a shawl of hope during a dark time. It also speaks to the resolution of the conflict between myself and my ‘shadow,’ the understanding that wholeness comes in a state of harmony between the two. This work is a reminder that this too shall come to pass. Anicca.’’ - Yonela Makoba

Ubusuku obude entlango 

The wildest wilderness 

‘‘This piece is a reflection, it is a period of solitude. 

A space of internal work and determination. 

Fearful but determinately standing.

This body of work is my survival kit, With my quilt (iyeza) and my shawl (ithemba) I will walk through the village of the shadow of death.’’ - Yonela Makoba

Iyeza 

‘‘This piece began as a family meeting, talking about the need to honour our late grandmother through the ritual of itea. iTea is a ritual in the Xhosa culture done to honour those who have passed; in my family, it is performed specifically to remember a matriarch; it is a call to the spirit of that mother, grandmother… to return home. 

The work explores this, asking how do you perform itea? So I started collecting teabags, living with them in my room, watching, playing with them, and setting time to be with my grannies in this way.  

One day after months of collecting teabags, they lay on the floor in my room, and a friend of mine came in. We spoke about the teabags, itea the ritual and to my surprise, he narrates a story of someone coming to him and saying ‘unesimnyama, funkeke wenze itea for omakhulu bakho’ and I hit me in that moment that I had been working with the antidote all this time, that this work, itea liyeza. 

With this quilt, I entered into a series of meditations dedicated to the act of remembering, weaving together the memories and inviting my family members into this space for collective remembering. This durational piece is a dedication of time and putting my body to task in this act.’’ - Yonela Makoba