uBuhle Bendalo, 2024 by kadi sabi in Midrand

This acrylic portrait captures a young Xhosa woman standing proud in the heart of the Eastern Cape landscape. Her skin glows warm brown against the vibrant green hills and winding blue river below, while the sky opens wide in deep cerulean streaked with white clouds. She wears the heavy, intricate beadwork that speaks volumes in Xhosa tradition: layers of multicolored necklaces—reds, blues, yellows, greens, blacks, and whites—cascading over her chest and shoulders, each bead a tiny story of identity, status, and connection to ancestors