LITEMA REVIVAL OF A DISAPPEARING ART

Abstract

Litema (pronounced di-tee-ma) is a Sesotho word that means ‘to plough’ or ‘cultivate’. It describes an indigenous mural art practised by women in Lesotho and the Free State province of South Africa. By beautifying freshly plastered homestead walls, Basotho mural artists acknowledge their natural and modern environments, whilst also celebrating seasonal and commemorative events such as Good Friday and Christmas, births, initiations, weddings and funerals. Embellishments comprise of paintings, engravings, relief sculpting and stone mosaics. Although this century-old art form has managed to survive the impact of, to mention a few, modernization, commercialization, and urbanization; early and current research shows that the tradition is both transitional and in decline. For Litema knowledge to survive, it is imperative that the current design is preserved, the art form revived, and the indigenous knowledge sustained. The objective of this study involves revisiting, conserving, promoting, and reintroducing the art form. A National Lotteries Trust Fund (NLDTF) grant awarded the Central University of Technology Free State (CUT) in 2005, enabled the implementation of eight Revival of Litema projects, which collectively strived to achieve these goals. The process involved the expansion of Litema knowledge through continued photographic and written documentation. The preservation and reintroduction of this knowledge presented in the form of a celebration of Litema during Heritage Month, a Litema website, an illustrated book, a design manual, a permanent mural and photographic installation, prototypical Litema products and a Litema DVD. Various ethical and creative considerations guided the assembly, presentation, and dissemination of data. This study contributes towards the lacuna in Litema research with a particular focus on artworks located in the Eastern Free State whilst building on the discourse around ethically appropriate indigenous knowledge research. It calls for the establishment of a visual and an oral archive devoted to, but not necessarily limited to Litema, in order to safeguard this fading façade in the landscape of South African art and heritage.