Yonke into iyathetha. Netsimbi le iyathetha.

This episode honours beadwork not simply as adornment, but as archive—a living, breathing language held in colour, thread, and form. We walk alongside uMama Nokhaya Jilingisa, a revered community elder and everyday knowledge-keeper, whose lifelong commitment to iintsimbi reveals how Xhosa epistemologies are preserved and passed through the hands of women, through the rigour of practice, and through the act of teaching.

As a cultural educator and mentor, uMama Jilingisa has become a custodian of local memory. Her teachings on the making, meaning, and historical significance of iintsimbi serve as both craft instruction and cosmological insight. She reminds us that beadwork is not decorative—it is declarative. It speaks of lineage, of ritual, of mourning, of joy. It signals status, desire, and identity. It encodes our pasts in order to activate our futures.

Through her voice and example, we begin to understand iintsimbi as an intergenerational knowledge system—one that is spoken through hands, worn on bodies, and carried in spirit.

“Instimbi iyakwazi ukugcina imfihlo yexesha. Xa uyibuka kakuhle, ingakuxelela ngoobani, phi, nini, kwaye kutheni.”

CLOSING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Narrating Voices

Mr Mangaliso Jafta

Azola Krweqe

Ms Nobuhle James

Mrs Nokhaya Jilingisa

Mama Phakani

Zizo Ntukushe

Visual & Video Contributors

Azola Krweqe

Sibabalwe Makeleni

Community Contributors

The James Family – ooXaba

Mrs Kutazwa James

Mrs Nokugcina James (special thanks for the recording of umsebenzi kaMnu. Luphumlo James)

Mrs Ludidi

Ms Phumla James

Ms Nobuhle James

Willowvale Makers Co-op

Kholiswa Magidi

Theko Theo Yinindwa

Philiswa Matutu

Nwabisa Mahlaleshushu

Miranda Siwlabeni

Youth Participants

Zintle Bonakele

Vuyokazi Mncono

Lethu Jilingisi

Nokubonga Hawu

Lisakhanya Poni

Yolande Tskane

Liyabona Ntshobodwana

Buyiswa Beauty Nduwe

Community yakuGatyana

Cebisa Magoqoza

Mzukisi Nketshu

Thando Madwantsi

Thobile Tsutsu

Sikelela Thobigunya

Neliswa Bambintala

Miranda Sihlangu

And the broader community at large

Special thanks to:

Azola Krweqe

Lukhanyo Muluse

Locations Referenced

Willowvale Arts Center, kuGatyane

James Family Home – Elukhanyisweni, eQumbu, eMdeni

Mr & Mrs James’ Residence – Highbury, Umtata

James Residence – Walmer Road Lodge, Beacon Bay, East London

Ngumla Family Home – eGcibala, Tsomo

Mpintsha Family Home – Nkanga, Willowvale

Buffalo City Municipality

Production Team

Executive Producer: Bongani Tau

Curator & Editor: Siviwe James

Content Advisor: Sihle Sogaula

Graphic Design: 2DOTS Space Agency

Video & Sound Editing: Siviwe James

Text: Siviwe James

Xhosa Language Advisor: Ms Nobuhle James

Digital Archiving Support

Art Meets App

Institutional Support

Eastern Cape Department of Sports, Arts and Culture

UN/FOLDING_RE/FOLDING_FOLDED: Imiphindo kwaXhosa © 2023 Created and produced by Siviwe James (James-Laurie) With support from the African Fashion Research Institute (AFRI) and Creative Nestlings Foundation, under the New Narratives Programme (2023).

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International