Kusa Ekukhanyeni (Morning Light)

Kusa Ekukhanyeni (Morning Light), 2025.

Mixed Media Digital Collage, Ilford Smooth Cotton Rag, Unframed.

Limited edition of 5.

42 cm X 31.5 cm: R 6000

79.2 cm X 59.4 cm: R 14000

 

This photography and mixed-media work draws from Phendulwa’s research into underrepresented South African histories, tracing her lineage to the Hlubi—one of South Africa’s oldest tribes. It explores the dual cultural identity of being a Xhosa-speaking Hlubi.

 

This work maps four of the twelve Xhosa-speaking tribes: the Mfengu, historically located in Fingoland; the Gcaleka in Gcalekaland; the Tembu in Tembuland; and the Mpondo in Pondoland.

As descendants of Hlubi people who fled to the Transkei during the Mfecane wars, her ancestry is closely linked to the Mfengu tribe. The Mfengu are widely believed to have descended from dispersed Hlubi, Bhele, and Zizi tribes. And in some contexts, the identities of the Mfengu and Hlubi have been used interchangeably.

 

The colours and shapes in this piece carry deep symbolic meaning. In sacred geometry, the pyramid represents the connection between the earth and higher spiritual realms, while the circles symbolize the cyclical nature of the universe. The colour palette draws from Xhosa cultural symbolism: green signifies growth, vitality, and the bountiful resources of the land, while orange symbolizes the dawn of a new day (kusa ekukhanyeni) and speaks to themes of rebirth and creativity—marking the artist's expansion into this form of personal expression.