Art: Woza Moya Dreams for Africa The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa

Woza Moya Dreams for Africa [South Africa]

[Image credit: Woza Moya Dreams for Africa Chair – Design Indaba]

‘The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa’ (MBOISA) is a feature of the annual Design Indaba Conference and Expo held in Cape Town, South Africa. This year ten beautiful objects were selected by top magazine editors and then displayed in the Design Indaba arena where visitors to the Expo could view them and vote for their favourite. The winning entry was a rather special chair called ‘Woza Moya Dreams for Africa Chair’; a chair intended to create a legacy of hope. Woza Moya is an income-generating project of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The project acts as an agent for over 200 crafters, helping those in need to regain hope and dignity by using their creativity to earn an income. Despite its success at winning the MBOISA title, the inspiration behind the chair is a heartbreaking one. When conducting a group exercise it was found that the patients and crafters at the centre had stopped dreaming for the future; all the individual challenges being faced in their personal lives and simply trying to make it through one day at a time had taken its toll, casting all dreams aside in the face of the basic need for survival. To encourage powerful thoughts for the future and to help restore hope, ‘Dreams for Africa’ will run as a series of art pieces. 

[Image credit: Portraits – Dreams for Africa]

[Image credit: Dreams for Africa]

Taking eight weeks to complete the chair is made up of embroidered patches by 150 crafters, which were then sewn onto a ‘wing back’ style chair that has wings in the shape of the map of Africa protruding on either side; these wings hold Africa’s dreams. The chair will be travelling South Africa and abroad; and crafters, local leaders, members of communities and inspiring role models from all walks of life are being asked to sit in the chair and have their portrait taken. The more people that sit in the chair and talk of their dreams for the future, the more meaning it has. To dream is to be able to have hope.

…so…what are your dreams for Africa?

Additional details:
For further information about Dreams for Africa visit: www.dreamsforafrica.org.za
For further information about Woza Moya visit: www.hillaids.org.za