Nombeka by Peter Pharoah

Grahamstown – 2009
“Art isn't only a painting…”

'I often take quick road trips around South Africa in search of inspiration and an escape from my day to day life in Wilderness. These trips always renew my passion for painting and sometimes inspire a new approach. On this trip around the Eastern Cape, I stopped for a quick break in Grahamstown, not realising that the annual Arts Festival was on.

The National Arts Festival is Grahamstown’s biggest event, providing much needed income to the residents of this small university town. Huge numbers of visitors flock there each year to experience South Africa’s unique culture, music, dance and art in many shapes and forms.

Wandering around the town, I remembered that I’d actually won the Grahamstown Art Festival Award some years before while still at school. Now the streets were filled with festival goers browsing stalls displaying curios, arts and craft stalls, handmade clothing and even artisan food outlets. Colourfully clad performers ambled down the streets entertaining children and adults with their antics. It is a happy time and it is easy to get caught up in the festive spirit and spirit of camaraderie.

Nombeka, a young Xhosa woman, was displaying her crafts at one of the many stalls and when I approached her to ask if I could take her photograph, she was initially tentative and said no, she is too shy. She asked me why I wanted to take a picture and I told her I was an artist and would love to do a painting of her, to which she replied with a big smile. ‘Oh, that’s okay; you can take my picture because I am an artist too!’

Having broken the ice, we agreed on a few items that I would purchase to take home and she allowed me to take a few photographs until some potential customers wandered past and she needed to attend to the business of ‘art marketing’.

I left with a smile and knew that someday, Nombeka would be featured on the walls of the gallery. Sadly, the items I purchased were at our gallery on the Wilderness lagoon which was destroyed in a fire a little over a year later.'


Peter Pharoah

Article ID : 98