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News - Date: 06 December 2002
TSHINO - Ms Noria Mabasa (65) of Tshino Village in Vuwani is a well-known sculptor all over the world and her awesome talent apparently lured the Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Mrs Brigitte Mabandla, to her tiny village last week Wednesday.
Ms Mabasa is a single parent of two lads. One of the lads has followed in her footsteps and is also a sculptor. She is regarded as a pioneer for women in rural areas to contribute to the visual arts. She made history by carving a carnage scene in wood consisting of six people, a snake, a lion, a lamb, and a crocodile surging forward and locked in combat.
Her God-given talent brought her fame and also enabled her to tour many foreign countries like Britain, Germany, Holland, Belgium and all around South Africa. She told Mirror that she started doing her job in 1974. "I remember an old lady told me to work with clay and by that time there were no women I knew who made clay figures and yet I had a vision that told me to sculpt. The dreams persisted and made me very sick. I also suffered from panic attacks."
She revealed that she was inspired by her midzimu (ancestors) and stated that every sculpture that she has carved is a success because of the ancestral visions that guide her creativity and advise her on the next design. "I never went to school to study sculpturing, it is the ancestors who gave me the skill," chuckled the deadlocked Mabasa.
Minister Mabandla stated that her department acknowledges the important work that Mabasa has done and intends to redefine her working space by building an open-air gallery. Mabandla said, "It gives me great pleasure that an open air gallery is to be built for Mabasa. She works under a mulberry tree and yet she creates awesome art works that are usually sent overseas." The deputy minister further announced that Mabasa has been nominated to receive the Mapungubwe National Order to be awarded by the state president, Thabo Mbeki on December 10, for her exceptional achievement in Visual Arts.
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