Imvuma Kufa

The inspiration behind this work is about spirituality, the soul and it's purpose in life. Growing up, we used to either look down or be afraid of people wearing certain clothes (izembatho). We also had a misconception, that is still evident among others in this present age. Everything that goes into our minds is a mystery or weirdness of their fashion manner that we see and yet we don't know if it's their choice, but the reality is that they don't have a choice because they are chosen. The figure of a child (nono) and a candle light, are both metaphors symbolic of life and innocence. When a soul is chosen by the ancestors, his or her personality differs from other people and a ritual ought to be done to appease the ancestors, where by most of the time imvumakufa, which means death of an ego, must be done in order to accept the gift from God and ancestors. In my Xhosa culture we believe that every child is born with a gift which must be cleansed by the death of an ego and that our purpose does not go hand in hand with an ego.