14Lady Women of Africa Ubuntu Bowl

This Women of Africa bowl depicts women from two of South Africa's indigenous tribes, the Zulu and the Xhosa.  Joining them and holding hands in a spirit of togetherness, are Indian women figures in their traditional clothes. 

This bowl will be a vibrant reminder in your home of Africa's gorgeous patterns and colours, as well as the heart-warming concept of Ubuntu.   We make different versions of this product. In some we have 8 African lady figures of the same tribe holding hands and in some we have 8 figures from different tribes and/or races holding hands. With these bowls we hope to contribute to nation building and harmony across the various tribes in South Africa.

The Women of Africa range is a sculptural range where the headgear and costumes of local tribes are recorded in clay. This bowl has been handmade with four Zulu women figures and four Xhosa women figures holding hands in the spirit of Ubuntu. The stoneware bowl is thrown on a pottery wheel and then the hand-modelled figures are added to the rim of the bowl.

Once fired the bowl is painted in the glorious colours of Africa.   “UMUNTU ngumuntu ngabantu” It is a complex Nguni word that means “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.”   “I am what I am because of who we all are."   In Africa, the definition of an individual is community-based and not individualist.