South Africa # 3-A Child is Born.

For Christmas I thought that I would post a picture of unadulterated happiness. This is a portrait of Mma Seitsang's 6-month-old granddaughter Reanetse Nonofo Seitsang that I drew in July of 2005. The name Reanetse means "we have hoped," and Nonofo means "power." Reanetse is a real sweetheart, and she and I got along very well. She sat quietly in her stroller while I quickly sketched the black outlines of this drawing. Note the pieces of string tied to the wrists. In rural South Africa, pieces of string are often tied around the wrists, ankles, and waists of small babies in order to gauge their growth. In the upper left corner are Mma Seitsangs dancing feet and on the right is the Seitsang's dog. One topic that Mma Seitsang always joked about was which of her children would "hear the call of the ancestors" and become an artist or a sangoma (this can happen at any time of life, but usually happens around the onset of puberty.) Mma Seitsang insisted on her moody son Papas, but I leaned towards little Reanetse or one of her female cousins. I cast my vote in this picture by giving Reanetse a little orange halo. A child is born! Here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas. I am not very religious myself, but any holiday that includes lots of chocolate is OK by me.