Mhlabatsi : Stories of the Sand
The Ngwenya Glass studio works with the colors of sand to tell a story of Eswatini
Who are Ngwenya Glass?
The Ngwenya Glass studio, founded by James Magagula and Sakhele Mduli, has been breathing new life into old or broken jam jars and bottles for three decades. The glass is they use is collected in Eswatini by local individuals and businesses.
Chiefs HerdDesign Indaba
The ever-changing colors of river sand
In a new work, the Ngwenya Glass Studio have worked with the the Swazi word and concpet Mhlabatsi. Mhlabatsi means the ever moving river of colours that come down from the mountainous areas through the small kingdom, carrying minerals and nutrients into the flat low-lying lands
The wisdom of sand
Speaking of the sand, the collective states ''It is the sand that blows through homesteads where the cattle drink and the crops are nourished, where the chiefs and elders are the heads of the community and their cattle are their wealth and status."
Mhlabatsi; it is in this constant movement that the layers of traditional wisdom are passed down through the generations and so our culture endures. That sand is the colour of Eswatini.
Chiefs HerdDesign Indaba
The collective goes on to state: ''The glass cow embodies the word Mhlabatsi. Within its head you can see the many colours of river sand, and in its bovine form it carries the traditions of a nation''
