By MAEDER OSLER
O a la la my ma, daar’s ‘n doring wat my pla …
Thus the words of a ditty attributed to the Griqua which is widely shared in the Karoo, if not in all rural areas — and some urban ones too.
It has come to mind in the course of viewing an interesting artwork made up of ‘dubbeltjies’ (devil thorns), sent to me by my daughter-in-law, Tabitha Osler. She had seen it in a gallery in the Karoo town of Richmond, in the course of a road trip between Cape Town and Johannesburg — with husband Ken and their children — as the old year turned into the new.
The gallery is managed by Modern Art Projects South Africa (MAPSA), a remarkable NGO which provides creative opportunities to the inhabitants of Richmond as well as artists from all over the country. To read more about it, and view some fascinating photographs, click here.
o my ma ! daar’, n doring wat my pla
le ek op my rug dan trek die doring terug
le ek op my sy dan steek die doring my
daar’s niemand in transvaal wat die doring uit kan haal