This morning I read of a mysteriously bright star, the brightest star ever recorded. It’s located twelve million light years from earth and pumps out as much energy as 10 million suns. Imagining this bright star, I was reminded of the African Bushmen’s belief that when you die you become a star. Then, I read […]

I have learned many things in my decade plus with the women of Mapusha but one teaching came slowly as I watched year after year the graceful ways in which these women work and play together. They have offered me a new experience of the word cooperative which is miles from the earnest Philadelphia food […]

Emma Nzukula One of Mapusha’s younger members, Emma takes a break from her beading to greet visitors to the studio. With co-workers Wonder and Ambrocia, she is busy creating bird mobiles with beads and bells and bright fabric from the market. See more about her work and the stories of other Mapusha Weavers.

I hesitate to consider the hundreds of mistakes I’ve made over my years in rural South Africa. I envision them like a multitude of colored sprinkles on a frosted cupcake; the red ones are the mistakes I know about, the pink are the ones I suspect and the blue, green, yellow, orange and purple are […]