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Although this journey was built around art, it quickly became apparent that politics is never very far from the conversation. I was honestly not surprised. Art acts as a mirror to the society that produces it, and after nearly a month in South Africa I found that understanding the country’s contemporary artists also meant trying to understand the political realities shaping their work. This is a concept that I teach to my students at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School. Conte

My favorite exhibit from our visit to the Norval Foundation was Wild Life, the retrospective focusing on the sculptures of South African artist Brett Murray. Pray (2021) INSTAGRAM REVOLUTIONARY (2018) I’m drawn to art that tackles difficult political and social issues—not through outrage alone, but through wit, metaphor, and beautifully crafted objects. When an artwork first invites you in and only later reveals its sharper meaning, I’m on board! Murray’s sculptures do exact

Over the past several weeks I’ve written about fantastic museums, generous people, unforgettable wildlife, and extraordinary works of art. Those experiences were all wonderful. But there is another South Africa that we encountered almost every day, and it deserves to be acknowledged as well. Thirty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world. The legal system of racial segregation ended in 1994, but many of its economi

After our time in Durban, we took a flight back to Cape Town for a few more days to enjoy the city before our flight back home. This time we were staying south of the city in Hout Bay. Since we were so close, we had to see the Norval Foundation, and it was yet another amazing and unexpected experience. My goal for this trip has been to better understand both the indigenous artistic traditions of southern Africa and the ways contemporary African artists continue to reinterpre

Every trip leaves you with a few ideas that stay with you even after you’ve unpacked your suitcase. For me, one of those ideas is Ubuntu. I first heard the term at the conclusion of the Lesedi Cultural Village presentation as we all danced together in the boma. Ubuntu is a philosophy that has deep roots in the cultures of southern Africa, particularly among peoples such as the Zulu and Xhosa. While it is often translated as “I am because we are,” the idea goes much deeper. I

One of the experiences I was most looking forward to on this trip was studying Zulu beadwork with internationally recognized artist and educator Hlengiwe Dube. While planning our travels, we came across one of her lectures at Yale explaining the symbolism and visual language of traditional Zulu beadwork. On a whim, I reached out through social media to ask if she might be available while we were in Durban. To my surprise, she replied yes. What followed was one of the most mea

We traveled to Durban for two specific reasons: to participate in a Zulu beadwork workshop (more on that in my next post) and to visit one of the most remarkable collections of indigenous art I have encountered anywhere in South Africa. The Phansi Museum is unlike any museum we’ve visited on this journey. Located in Durban, Phansi houses one of the world’s most significant collections of southern African indigenous art and craft. Founded by architect and activist Paul Mikula,