This study recontextualises Batswana Lekgapho wall and floor decorative
homestead patterns within the contemporary art practice of Botswana. It
tracks their original meaning using a genealogical approach towards archiving
this traditional art form, in order to place it in the contemporary artistic realm.
The term lekgapho is used widely to refer to traditional wall decorations of huts;
lelapa is a walled courtyard that provides a frontage to one or more houses in
a household that serve several purposes, such as a meeting place for family
members or a space for external events such as weddings. In Tswana culture,
lekgapho is a decoration which shows a woman’s ability to creatively beautify
her homestead, similar to wall decorations in some parts of Africa. Even
though lekgapho practice is regarded as nearing extinction because of modern
architecture, there are still women in Botswana who practise the traditional art
form in rural areas. The study is framed through genealogical and cultural
reappropriation, archival theory and provenance approaches. It articulates
lekgapho’s evolution while exploring its symbolic and cultural significance for
its practitioners and their communities towards archiving and preserving it as
Botswana tradition and a worthy cultural heritage for future generations.
Narrative inquiry and desktop research were conducted, and first-hand
information was collected through interviews and photographs. A key finding
is that the practitioners believe that they are the last surviving artists of this art
form in Botswana. This revelation is a call to action to preserve the art form
for future generations. The study contributes to knowledge through
preservation of lekgapho motifs, especially through the Re a Kgapha exhibition
where viewers reimagined the designs outside of their original settings. This
was achieved through a body of artworks, including paintings, photographs,
ceramic tiles and a video installation, inspired by lekgapho.
Thutopatlisiso eno e tsosolosa dipaterone tsa Lekgapho la Batswana tsa
magae tsa go kgabisa lebota le fa fatshe mo tiragatsong ya botaki jwa
segompieno jwa Botswana. E latedisa bokao jwa tsona jwa ntlha ka go dirisa
mokgwa wa tatelano ya losika go ya kwa go bolokeng mofuta ono wa botaki
jwa setso, gore o tle o bewe mo lefelong la botaki jwa segompieno. Lereo
lekgapho le dirisiwa thata go kaya mekgabiso ya setso ya mabota a matlo a
bojang; lelapa ke tikologo ya ntlo e e thekeleditsweng ka lobota e e ka fa pele
ga ntlo e le nngwe kgotsa go feta mo lwapeng e e dirang ditiro di le mmalwa,
jaaka lefelo la kopano la maloko a lelapa kgotsa lefelo la ditiragalo tsa kwa ntle
jaaka manyalo. Mo setsong sa Batswana, lekgapho ke mokgabiso o o
bontshang bokgoni jwa mosadi jwa go kgabisa legae la gagwe ka boitlhamedi,
go tshwana le mekgabiso ya mabota mo dikarolong dingwe tsa Aforika. Le fa
tiro ya lekgapho e tsewa e le e e gaufi le go nyelela ka ntlha ya boagi jwa
segompieno, go santse go na le bomme mo Botswana ba ba dirang tiro ya
botaki jwa setso kwa metsemagaeng. Thutopatlisiso e rulagantswe ka go
tsosolosa tatelano ya losika le setso, tiori ya akhaefe le mekgwa ya tlholego.
E tlhalosa phetogo ya lekgapho fa e ntse e tlhotlhomisa botlhokwa jwa lona
jwa sesupo le jwa setso mo bathong ba ba dirang ka lona le mo merafeng ya
bona go e boloka le go e somarela jaaka ngwao ya Botswana le boswa jo bo
tshwanetseng jwa setso jwa lotso la isago. Go ne ga dirwa dipatlisiso tsa
kanegelo le dipatlisiso tsa desekethopo, mme go ne ga kokoanngwa
tshedimosetso e e bonweng ka tlhamalalo ka dipotsolotso le dinepe.
Phitlhelelo e e botlhokwa ke gore batho ba ba dirang ka lona ba dumela gore
ke bona bataki ba bofelo ba ba setseng ba mofuta ono wa botaki mo
Botswana. Tshenolo eno ke kgoeletso ya gore go tsewe kgato go somarelela
lotso la isago mofuta wa botaki. Thutopatlisiso e na le seabe mo kitsong ka
go somarela ditshwantsho tsa lekgapho, bogolosegolo ka pontsho ya Re a
Kgapha moo babogedi ba neng ba akanya gape ka mokgabo wa botaki kwa ntle ga maitshetlego a tsona a ntlha. Se se fitlheletswe ka setlhopha sa ditiro
tsa botaki, go akaretsa ditshwantsho tse di takilweng, dinepe, dithaele tsa
seramiki le tlhomo ya bidio, tse di tlhotlheleditsweng ke lekgapho.
Olu phando lucacisa umxholo weepateni zeLekgapho yaBatswana
zokuhombisa imigangatho neendonga zezindlu zasemakhaya kwindlela
yobugcisa yale mihla ekwenziwa ngayo eBotswana. Olu phando lulandela
intsingiselo yasekuqaleni yezi pateni lusebenzisa indlela yomlibo yokwenza
obu bugcisa bemveli ukuze lukwazi ukufaka ezi pateni zamandulo kubugcisa
bale mihla. Eli gama lithi lekgapho lisetyenziswa kakhulu xa kuthethwa
ngokuhonjiswa kweendonga zamanqugwala; ilelapa yiyadi ebiyelwe
ngodonga ekukho kuyo indlu enye okanye izindlu eziliqela ezilungiselelwe
injongo ethile efana nendawo apho ludibanela khona usapho okanye indawo
yemisitho efana nemitshato. Kwinkcubeko yesiTswana ilekgapho sisihombiso
esibonisa ubuchule bebhinqa bokuhombisa umzi walo ubemhle yaye siyafana
nezihombiso zeendonga ezikweminye imimandla eAfrika. Nangona ukwenza
ilekgapho kuphelelwa ngenxa yobugcisa bale mihla, kodwa asekho
amabhinqa akwiilali zaseBotswana abenzayo obu bugcisa bemveli. Olu
phando lusebenzisa iindlela zomlibo nezokuvuselela inkcubeko, ithiyori
yoovimba kunye neyemvelaphi. Lucacisa iinguqu zelekgapho lo gama
luphonononga intsingiselo yayo yomfuziselo neyenkcubeko kwabo bayenzayo
nakuluntu ngokubanzi ngenjongo yokuyigcina kuvimba nokuyilondoloza
njengemvelaphi nesithethe saseBotswana ukulungiselela izizukulwana
ezizayo. Kwenziwe uphando ngamabali nangeintanethi yaye ingcombolo
yokuqala iqokelelwe ngokwenza udliwano-ndlebe nangokuthabatha iifoto. Into
engundoqo efunyaniswe kolu phando kukuba la magcisa enza ezi zihombiso
akholelwa ekubeni angawokugqibela asaphilayo akwaziyo ukwenza ezi
zihombiso eBotswana. Oku kuxela ukuba kufuneka kubekho into eyenziwayo
ukuze kulondolozwe obu bugcisa ukuze nezizukulwana ezizayo zibubone. Olu
phando lufaka igalelo lolwazi ngokulondoloza imifanekiso yelekgapho
ngokusebenzisa izinto ezifana nomboniso iRe a Kgapha nalapho ababukeli
bafumana ithuba lokuyicinga ngenye indlela le mifanekiso. Lo mboniso
