To Lin, with Love from SA

[Baby-K]

Dear Lin

Firstly I have to apologise for taking so long in responding to your questions. I have been really busy of late & have not really had much time to spend on the research etc.

I have cut down the reply somewhat, to make it easier for you to read (I do not want you to lose interest midway through) and also to make it easier on myself (it was becoming quite long & I’m rather lazy to type so much).

So, herewith the replies to some of your questions – I have also included a few interesting links at the end.


APOLOGIES TO ALL OTHER MOOTERS FOR THIS – I HAVE UNFORTUNATELY DELETED THE PM CONTAINING LIN’S E-MAIL ADDY AND THE LENGTH OF THIS MESSAGE DOES NOT ALLOW FOR IT TO BE SENT VIA PM WITHOUT HAVING TO BREAK IT UP IN A MILLION DIFFERENT PM’S

OK, let’s start with the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa on May 10, 1994 – after his release from prison. He served 27 years at Robben Island Maximum Security Prison for crimes against the government during what was known as the ‘Struggle’, whereby black South Africans rose up against the oppressive government & committed acts that were labeled as terrorism. After his release SA finally had our first democratic elections, in which ALL people of 18 years and older were permitted to vote. The ANC (African National Congress) won & Nelson Mandela (leader of the ANC) became president. This was his inauguration speech:

STATEMENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS,NELSON MANDELA, AT HIS INAUGURATION AS PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, UNION BUILDINGS, PRETORIA, MAY 10 1994
Your Majesties, Your Highnesses, Distinguished Guests, Comrades and Friends:
Today, all of us do, by our presence here, and by our celebrations in other parts of our country and the world,confer glory and hope to newborn liberty.
Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.
Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all.
All this we owe both to ourselves and to the peoples of the world who are so well represented here today.
To my compatriots, I have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld.
Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. The national mood changes as the seasons change.
We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom.
That spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland explains the depth of the pain we all carried in our hearts as we saw our country tear itself apart in a terrible conflict, and as we saw it spurned, outlawed and isolated by the peoples of the world, precisely because it has become the universal base of the pernicious ideology and practice of racism and racial oppression.
We, the people of South Africa, feel fulfilled that humanity has taken us back into its bosom, that we, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil.
We thank all our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.
We trust that you will continue to stand by us as we tackle the challenges of building peace, prosperity, non-sexism,non-racialism and democracy.
We deeply appreciate the role that the masses of our people and their political mass democratic, religious, women, youth,business, traditional and other leaders have played to bring about this conclusion. Not least among them is my Second Deputy President, the Honourable F.W. de Klerk.
We would also like to pay tribute to our security forces, in all their ranks, for the distinguished role they have played in securing our first democratic elections and the transition to democracy, from blood-thirsty forces which still refuse to see the light.
The time for the healing of the wounds has come.
The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come.
The time to build is upon us.
We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.

[Baby-K]

We succeeded to take our last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. We commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace.
We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.
As a token of its commitment to the renewal of our country, the new Interim Government of National Unity will, as a matter of urgency, address the issue of amnesty for various categories of our people who are currently serving terms of imprisonment.
We dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free.
Their dreams have become reality. Freedom is their reward.
We are both humbled and elevated by the honour and privilege that you, the people of South Africa, have bestowed on us, as the first President of a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa, to lead our country out of the valley of darkness.
We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom.
We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success.
We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.
Let there be justice for all.
Let there be peace for all.
Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.
Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.
Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.
Let freedom reign.
The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement!
God bless Africa!
Thank you.

In addition he recited a poem by Ingrid Jonker – Die Kind, which was something rather special, as it is an Afrikaans poem (Afrikaans was widely known as the language of the oppressor) – I think this indicated to many people his ability to forgive the wrongs of the past & his commitment to a better future for all South Africans.

This is the English Version of that poem:

The child who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga

The child is not dead
The child lifts his fists against his mother
Who shouts Afrika ! shouts the breath
Of freedom and the veld
In the locations of the cordoned heart

The child lifts his fists against his father
in the march of the generations
who shouts Afrika ! shout the breath
of righteousness and blood
in the streets of his embattled pride

The child is not dead not at Langa nor at Nyanga
not at Orlando nor at Sharpeville
nor at the police station at Philippi
where he lies with a bullet through his brain

The child is the dark shadow of the soldiers
on guard with rifles Saracens and batons
the child is present at all assemblies and law-givings
the child peers through the windows of houses and into the hearts of mothers
this child who just wanted to play in the sun at Nyanga is everywhere
the child grown to a man treks through all Africa

the child grown into a giant journeys through the whole world
Without a pass

The election of Nelson Mandela as SA president heralded a new start for South Africans, and yes, it did hold a lot of insecurity, especially for the previously ‘advantaged’, i.e. white males (especially Afrikaans men).

As I previously mentioned to you, the road has been a bumpy one, but we are getting there (at least the journey is interesting).

I will attempt to address your questions by treating each as a separate heading.

[Baby-K]

Affirmative Action in the South African workplace / Employment Equity

Previously employment in SA was based on largely unfair practices, based on race, gender and disability. This meant that very few women filled ‘power’ positions and having black / coloured people in these positions were basically unheard of.

When the ‘new’ government came into practice in 1994, steps were immediately put into place to rectify the discriminatory practices. This included Affirmative Action as a measure to irradicate unfair practice as well as restitution to the previously disadvantaged communities (in terms of income ratios etc it should be noted that white South Africans [predominantly males] were earning about 75% of the income, with black communities were only earning about 20%, even though blacks outnumbered whites by about 8:1).

Unfortunately Affirmative Action, IMO, cannot & should not be used as a permanent solution. When I was doing a paper on this subject for Political Studies at university, I remember reading a quote: “Affirmative Action is giving the job to the black man in all cases, except where he does not meet the minimum criteria” (unfortunately I cannot remember who said it, but I think the book was called ‘Affirmative Action – Allowing Black Eagles to Soar”). If you take this quote as a starting point, then yes, AA should be able to work. Unfortunately, it is not how it was approached by many companies in SA. Due to the AA quotas introduced many companies were scuttling around trying to find ‘black’ faces to fill vital positions. IMO this was the worst possible way to handle the situation – educated managers & staff were being replaced with unschooled / untrained staff because they were the ‘right’ colour for the job. Just a note: when AA was introduced, many companies retrenched the ‘older’ white males, even though they were well qualified & were doing great work. These people were replaced with untrained workers. I think this was extremely unfair, from both sides – the old employees suddenly found themselves unemployed & with very few prospects due to their age etc (no-one was hiring white guys then, due to the quotas & for fear that the company might be fined). And it was unfair to new employees – firstly because they were expected to fill the new positions without proper training, as a result of being AA candidates they were regarded as ‘job stealers’ etc – obviously with such pressures on them it became even harder for them to perform their duties – can you imagine having to ask someone for help under those conditions?
If it were up to me I’d have rather made a clause that AA should be implemented, but focussed more on the training & development side of companies. In other words – a certain percentage of new recruits should be of colour BUT those recruits should be included in a training program first, before being deployed into the general workforce of any company. To me it would have made more sense to keep the old guys on board and use them as trainers, rather than just letting them go.


As a short term measure AA has been effective, however as more & more educated black & white people enter the work market AA is being met with some degree of hostility. Many young people (of all colours) feel that AA is nothing more than reversed discrimination & a slap in the face of democracy. I agree with them – in a truly democratic society we should not base our selection of candidates for ANYTHING on the colour of their skins – for the sake of being profitable and a viable world market competitor our selections should of course be based on someone’s abilities and capabilities.

Even our sports teams have quotas – in each & every team, from schools levels upwards, we MUST have a certain percentage of black players – this means that the most talented people might not make it into the team & they need to stand back for someone who is the right colour. On the other hand, the sport development programmes across the country are fantastic & now (after 10 years on the quota system) more & more talented players from the black communities are coming to the fore. In a few years I am sure they would abolish the quota system completely and rather focus on athlete’s abilities & talent. If not the current drain on our sports teams will continue – every year South African athletes leave the country to go play county cricket in England, or rugby league, Aussie Rules football, some are playing American Football or soccer (many of our local players go to England & Europe to play – the pay there is better too).

Strangely, with the implementation of AA, many people seemed to forget that it was not only black men that had been discriminated against. Women (of all races) and disabled people had also fallen victim, yet the employment of AA candidates have been largely confined to employment of black men. In SA women make up 52% of the workforce, yet we only earn 33% of the riches.

[Baby-K]

Luckily many developments are in place to address this, one of which is the initiatives of Cell C (a cellular company) – Bring a Girlchild to Work – throught this young girls are exposed to corporate environments & in some cases given positions as temp workers, this enables them to make better career choices & thus focus their attention on the direction their studies should take.

I think that is enough on AA for now…..

A notable exception to the ‘Women in Power’ rule was Helen Suzman. She was a member of the United Party (opposition of the ruling NP, which was responsible for apartheid) and had a Parliamentary seat – enabling her to vote for or against apartheid legislature. She split from the party in 1959 over a dispute re the Promotion of Bantu Self-Governance Bill (black people were referred to as Bantu – the Afrikaans word for black man). The bill promoted the idea of independent black rural homelands (such as Transkei [where I was born btw], Ciskei, Bophuthatswana, etc – after 1994 these were again sworn into the Republic, under our governance). This bill also grossly manipulated Africans’ ability to work & live where they chose – many urban black people were uprooted & taken to rural areas & were expected to make a living there, even though there was hardly any development in those areas.


Suzman, along with some others, formed the Progressive Party & for many years she was the only party member with a seat in parliament. She vehemently opposed apartheid & was the only person who voted against the 99 day detention law (this law enabled police to hold anyone for 99 days without charging them & without allowing them to see a lawyer – under this law at least 70 people died in Police custody). She was so adamently against this law that she actually requested parliament to physically ‘divide’ – thus she stood alone, facing a room full of Nationalist & United MP’s who voted the law into action.

Suzman was known as being the voice of reason within parliament to many of the freedom fighters, like Steve Bicho, Ruth First (an activist who was a victim of the 99 day law – she was eventually released, but was given an exit visa [she had to leave SA & could not return], she was later killed in a letter bomb incident which had been sent by the SA government), even Nelson Mandela. She retired from politics in 1989, a few months before F W de Klerk released Nelson Mandela from jail.

Land Restitution in SA

Land restitution is aimed at dealing effectively with the racially based land dispossession of the past and to distribute land more equitably.

The government has identified the need for a land reform policy that should reduce poverty and contribute to economic growth. Luckily they have had the sense to do this in such a fashion that it would support to sustainable development (unlike the trend in Zimbabwe, where hundreds of white farmers have been killed & driven off their farms by teenage ‘war veterans’). As more and more land is being restored to families and communities, especially in the rural areas, the government is required to assist with the process, this includes grants for planning, as well as Restitution Discretionary Grants, which is given to ensure that, when people return to that land they would be able to sustain development there. The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights acts as the link between the communities and private and public donors. They provide donors with profiles of the communites as well as involve foreign government donors with the Department of Land Affairs. Although this is a slow process (it involves a lot of applications, which have to be heard by the Land Courts etc), the results are infinitely better than land invasions (as in Zimbabwe) would be.

I will discuss the influence of Shaka Zulu & the difaqane with you later if you wish (basically an outline of the build of the Zulu nation under Shaka & the disputes etc which lead to the difaqane, where the midlands of SA became ‘open’ – this happened almost in conjunction with the Great Trek, when the Boers were moving out of the Cape Colony to get away from British rule). The difaqane played a major role IMO as it was the catalyst for a lot of the so-called ancestral land being vacant & thus being inhabited by the Boers.

BTW – if you want to I’ll post a bit of info re Shaka – IMO he was one of the greatest warriors that ever lived (at one stage he had 100 000 people under him – of which 40 000 were soldiers & damned fine ones at that, they defeated the heavily armed British troops, using assegais and smaller spears). Also, his Impi’s (the Zulu word for soldier) were trained from a very young age & as part of their training they had to run miles & miles through the field (with all it’s thorns etc) barefoot.

[Baby-K]

Problems facing South African Society

Policing
With the amalgamation of the SAP with the TBVC2 (the previously ‘independent bantu states’) police forces came many problems – most notably the budget constraints, suddenly the workforce had just about tripled, yet the budgets available had not. It has to be noted that, with the TBVC2 states being amalgamated into SA again, it meant that we had also inherited their debts etc – these states were self governing & thus had their own economic policies etc. Unfortunately these policies were not always very sound, which lead to many of them being in economic dire straits. The only exception I would think could perhaps be Bophuthatswana, who sustained their economy through the allowance of gambling – which was at that stage illegal in SA.
Number of force members: even though the numbers of police officers have increased it is not nearly enough. SA has very relaxed border control, which means that after 1994 an increased number of illegal immigrants have come from war ridden countries such as Angola, DRC, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique etc to seek their fortunes in SA. Thus the number of Police Officers to citizens is about 1:70 (according to world standards the ratio should be something like 1:7) and of these many are so-called desk jocks & thus aren’t doing the actual policing on the streets. Also, a large number of these form part of the Presidential Guard or are on duty at courts, state buildings and form part of the protection services for ministers and highly placed government officials.

Drugs
The number of drug users in SA has increased dramatically of late – this could be the result of poor border control as well as the down right stupid laws passed. For instance – a very large number of illegal Nigerian immigrants are known to be drug dealers, yet they are not deported due to the foreign policies of the government. As a result these drug dealers have a field day in SA, as the punishments here are rather light – in Nigeria the minimum sentence for trafficking is 25 years & the maximum is death, however, in SA the minimum is about 5 years , with 25 years being the maximum.
Manufacturing of drugs in SA has also shot up – according to latest statistics SA produces about 87% of the world’s Mandrax supply and apparently SA is one of Europe’s biggest suppliers of Cannabis. The ‘mules’ usually transport the weed via Ireland to the UK & from there to the rest of Europe. One ‘good’ thing though is that South Africans seem adverse to using drugs like Heroin & Opium, which are probably the two most addictive substances.

HIV/AIDS
I think it is a widely known fact that SA has one of the highest numbers of HIV/AIDS victims in the world. I’m not sure about the current stats, but at one stage about 1/10 South Africans (4.2 million) were infected. This means that the workforce in SA is expected to reduce by about 20% in 2020, which holds obviously bad implications for the economic stability of the country. Plus we have an absolute idiot for a president in Thabo Mbeki, who refuses to acknowledge the HIV/AIDS link & therefore is refusing to make anti-retrovirals available to sufferers.

Over the past 10 years HIV has increased by about 20% in SA.

Off all problems facing SA, including unemployment, poverty and crime, AIDS is the only one that will not diminish in time with an improving economy. Luckily there are those who have recognised this & are working hard at training & educating people re AIDS (I also do workshops on AIDS & the impact of it on the workplace – it’s amazing to see how little people still know about it).

Also, it is impossible to deny the role that traditional healers have played in the prevalence of AIDS. I should rather refer to them as witchdoctors or as they are known in the African languages – Sangomas. Although SA has a largely westernised culture there are still many Sangomas in practice today, as Africans very strongly believe in their abilities to cure disease, bring good fortune etc. According to some Sangomas AIDS can be cured if the sufferer has sex with a virgin. This stupid fallacy has spread & has given rise to a spree of child-rapes (and an increase in HIV positive numbers) – this makes the job of police and educators very difficult indeed. But luckily there are some Sangomas who recognise that there is no known cure for AIDS yet & they are assisting community leaders in educating people.

A few links for you:

SA Restaurant IN San Francisco in case yer ever in San Fransisco Bay area & feel like having a good ol' SA meal, this seems like a nice place

SA in a Nutshell

Wines of SA

Fave SA recipes some traditional SA recipes (check out the potjie recipes etc)

[Linaewen]

Dear K,

Like I said in the PMs, thanks ever so much for this. I know it's cost you a lot of time and effort, and I appreciate it.

I don't have the time now to reply, so I will do that later, maybe via PM.
----------

To other 'Mooters- sorry about this- if this is us somehow abusing Entmoot or something, we don't mean to. You all can feel free to read the posts and comment on/discuss them, if you wish. I doubt Baby-K will be able to reply, but we nonetheless could discuss South Africa's problems etc. (I don't know if there is already a thread about this)


Lin

[Baby-K]

Lin, as I said in the PM I'd sent you, your postmaster keeps returning my e-mails. I will post the info here (obviously without the attachments I originally had)

Again - apologies to all others

Hi Lee

Here is some info about the Zulu Love Letters.

Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy reading about Cambodian history.

I made my little post in the Accents thread for you re SA slang btw

Coney & I are both well thanks, and I'll be sure to send you pics of our 'meet' later on.

I'm also going to meet a few other 'net buddies from England when I'm over there & will be spending a few days with someone from Jersey (a little island between France & England as far as I could understand)

Well, here goes

ZULU LOVE LETTERS

Love Letters Written in Beads

In Southern Africa, beads are not merely for adornment. They play a part in tribal rites - and as a medium of communication. Beads have been worn from the earliest times, ancient examples being made of everything from the shell of the ostrich egg, from bones and stones to seeds and metal.

Among the tribes of Southern Africa, the Ndebele and the Zulu make most use of beads and do so with great artistry. But it is to the Zulu womenfolk that credit is given for a unique achievement - the use of beads as love letters which they send to their menfolk. However, bead symbolism is also found not only among the Ndebele and the Zulu, but also among other tribes such as the Tembu, Swazi, Bavenda and others.

The beaded Zulu love letters are usually worn around the neck, but some are also seen as belts and bracelets, headbands and other adornments. The beadwork messages are often complex, but sometimes a single bead will have great significance, or an entire pattern have but one meaning. There is no rigid symbolism, for the language of the beads sometimes varies from clan to clan. Nevertheless, there are at least two love-letters that appear to be universal:
To convey that she is pure of heart and awaiting her lover, the Zulu maid always first sends a bead-message that is all white
Her second bead-letter is always black, with a central strip of red; it signifies an urgent plea for marriage to end her loneliness.
To interpret the love-letter, one must know the colour symbolism. Here in brief are the broad meanings, though it must be realised that there are many subtle variations that often depend on the particular shade of a given colour:

Black
Sadness; loneliness; disappointment; but in a certain context black can also convey reassurance.

Blue
Depending on the shade, blue beads can symbolise the sky, or the sea; or faithfulness; or a garrulous disposition.

Green
Love-sickness; jealousy; also symbolic of grass and cattle.

Pink
A shy suggestion of poverty - especially of inability to provide cattle for lobola ie the bride-price paid to her parents by the prospective husband.

Red
Blood; tears; anger; also boundless love.

White
Purity; love; good luck.

Yellow
Wealthy; estrangement; also hate.

Beadwork in a variety of striking patterns plays a signifcant part in the social system; in courtship and \ marriage; in homage to ancestors and in many other ways. Some beads are symbols of royalty. Witcdoctors, diviners and medicine-men also use beads as symbols - for instance, white beads appease the spirits. Indeed from birth, beads play a part in tribal life, and the first thing a new-born babe will wear will often be a string of beads, tied on the infant with appropriate ceremony.

The modern urban African has, for a time, tended to ignore the beadwork traditions of his forefathers. However, with growing sophistication, there is today a new realisation that the old ways are a precious part of a nation's culture, and the ancient traditions and customs are something to be valued and upheld.

A new form that the beadwork has taken on is in the red AIDS Awareness ribbons - these are made on a white background & you would often see South African politioans and prominent figures wear these when appearing on television, notable examples would be Nelson Mandela, current president Thabo Mbeki and also opposition leaders such as Tony Leon.


This is an interesting link that I have found re the African religions etc
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/pap...ng/ELPHINK.htm

NGUNI HUTS

Beehive Huts
In southern Africa, the Zulu, Xhosa and Swazi (all descendants of the Nguni) construct beehive huts, although with different coverings. The dome frames are made using either concentric hoops or by making a ring of poles inserted into the ground, and brought together at the top of the dome, either as a curve or as a point. These structures are then thatched. The Swazi and Zulu huts are tied down with grass ropes.

[Baby-K]

And finally:

About the languages in SA
The most widely spoken of South Africa's eleven official languages in the mid-1990s are Zulu (isiZulu), Xhosa (isiXhosa), Afrikaans, and English. The others--isiNdebele, sePedi (seSotho sa Leboa), seSotho, seTswana, siSwati, tshiVenda (also referred to as luVenda), and xiTsonga--are spoken in large areas of the country. Each of the eleven includes a number of regional dialects and variants.

Despite the diversity of these language groups, it is nonetheless possible to begin to understand this complex society by viewing language groupings as essentially the same as ethnic groupings. This is possible because, in general, most South Africans consider one of the eleven official languages, or a closely related tongue, to be their first language; and most people acquire their first language as part of a kinship group or an ethnically conscious population.

Nine of South Africa's official languages (all except Afrikaans and English) are Bantu languages. Bantu languages are a large branch of the Niger-Congo language family, which is represented throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Bantu languages are sp oken by more than 100 million Africans in Central Africa, East Africa, and southern Africa. Four major subgroups of Bantu languages--Nguni, Sotho, Tsonga-Shangaan, and Venda--are represented in South Africa.

The largest group of closely related languages in South Africa is the Nguni. Nguni peoples in the country number at least 18 million. About 9 million Sotho (BaSotho) and 2 million Tswana (BaTswana) speak seSotho or a closely related language, seTswana . More than 2 million Tsonga and Shangaan peoples speak xiTsonga and related languages; at least 600,000 Venda (VaVenda) speak tshiVenda (luVenda).

Each of these language groups also extends across South Africa's boundaries into neighboring countries. For example, Nguni-speaking Swazi people make up almost the entire population of Swaziland. At least 1.3 million seSotho speakers live in Lesotho, and more than 1 million people in Botswana speak seTswana. Roughly 4 million speakers of xiTsonga and related languages live in Mozambique, and tshiVenda is spoken by several thousand people in southern Zimbabwe. Language boundaries are not rigid and fixe d, however; regional dialects often assume characteristics of more than one language.

OK, I think that should keep you going for a while! Have fun & see you around hun.

Kisses from SA

K

[Ruinel]

I know that the posts here have been out of response to Linaewen's inquiries about South Africa. But I have personally enjoyed reading your posts here. I was especially touched by the post about the HIV/AIDS problem in SA. And I especially enjoyed the post on the Love Letters (Beads).

[Baby-K]

Hey Lin!

I noticed your SA flag for your NationStates profile - thought I'd give you a bit of info (link) re that & the country's Coat of Arms

SA

BTW the Motto (Ike E: Ixara / Ike) means Diverse People Unite (The old Motto was Ex Unitate Vires - Unity is Strength).

(Ruinel - I'm glad you also enjoyed the info)

[Linaewen]

Baie dankie, K!

I really love and appreciate all the information that you give to me.

I chose the flag for what it represents; the coat of arms is wonderful too! Thanks so much again!

[Elf Girl]

That was REALLY INTERESTING. Thank you for posting it where everyone can see it.

I now find myself interested in the beaded love-letter business, being an incurable beader myself. Do you have any links on the subject with more information? How they are made etc. Not wanting to bother you, though

[Baby-K]

Lin, the symbolism of the flag (the two 'legs' og the green Y coming tohether & uniting as one) ties in nicely with the Motto & the symbolism of the Coat of Arms.

Elf Girl:

This link may be useful to you Zulu Beadwork

Here's a pic with a few small examples