Africa Meets Africa

‘It’s been here all along!’ exclaimed a Mathematics teacher, beading needle in hand, as she looked closely at the sophisticated geometric pattern of a beaded ubeshwana – a traditional beaded Zulu apron. ‘Why didn’t we see it before?’ This exhibition is a prime example of how real learning departs from what is known. Hosted in July 2015 and curated by Eugene Hön and Helene Smuts, this exhibition showcased the extraordinary process of rural/urban knowledge exchange. Southern Africa’s local knowledge systems are often overshadowed by ‘western’ institutions, and this exhibition demonstrated just how valuable rural teaching and learning can be, despite the lack of resources encountered by these teachers and learners.