One of the most popular things to do in SA is to have Braiis. They are like barbeques, except a lot more extensive. After class today, my friend Muziwandile invited me to a braii with some of his friends from the art department. It was a just short walk away by the ceramics building on campus. We had a huge feast which consisted of: grilled corn on the cob, chicken, hamburger, biscuits (which are actually called “cookies” here, and vise versa), apples, veggies, a salad with sliced tomatoes, avocado, grapes, mango, and our main dish: Pumpkin. The pumpkin was cooked in the ceramics kiln at the University. They emptied out the inside of the pumpkin and filled it with spinach, various nuts, mushrooms, cheese, spinach, and corn. Then they covered the entire pumpkin with clay and put it in the kiln until the clay was burnt. We then took it out and smashed the clay open to reveal a cooked squash. It was absolutely delicious! A few people from the ceramics department were there too that Muziwandile introduced me to, including a visiting professor from Chicago. He’s here for three works to show and talk about his artwork. He said he wants to stop in the art dept. and see some of my paintings. I’m actually quite nervous about that, and I hope he just forgets!! :-)
After the braii, I went to Muziwandile’s studio to see some of his art. Currently, he’s working on these very large ceramic instruments. They’re shaped like bulbs, and on the side is a small hole, about fist size. Coming out of the top are twisted long pipes coiling around each other. You hold the ceramic piece under your arm, like a football, and hit the fist sized hole with the palm of your hand, in rhythm. It creates this really low, but beautiful noise – especially when you have more than one going at once. Muziwandile, another one of his friends, and I sat around the studio and played for awhile. Muziwandile goes to Johannesburg every other weekend to sell his instruments there. He told me that they have a lot of significance to his family’s culture and background – and he uses the instruments as a way to tell stories. Carved in the side are different animals and people that tell about his family’s past. Doing this is not only a way to earn money, but to also keep his family’s culture and history alive.
Today was a great day overall, and I’m happy to be actually making friends besides the MSU group (even though I love them dearly : )
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Awesome job at making new friends! But don't be nervous about showing your art. It is fantastic, and you will not get better unless you show your work, have people give you newer and greater ideas for future pieces! You have nothing to be nervous about, you are a lot better than that hack-job of an artist Van Gogh!
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