Zainab Davids

Artist Catalogue

Virtual Exhibition

Jy Stiek Medowra

Throughout adolescence, my perception of myself was heavily influenced by a Western lens and outside presence. I tended to create an image of myself catering to this, which was often seen at the expense of my comfort and cultural identity. Cultural practices and spaces that were once familiar to me have become somewhat of a memory as time passed and, I have found myself longing for the familiarity I experienced as a child.

The Medowra is a headpiece worn in the Muslim Cape Malay community that was derived from the Malaysian Keringkam Sarawak. Keringkam Sarawak are shawls/veils made from colourful gauze, and coarse thread made of gold and silver. The Medowra and practices involving it are still being upheld and treasured by the Cape Malay community. These ornamental headdresses are typically worn by Cape Malay Muslim brides, Muslim women who have completed their pilgrimage to Makkah, Muslim women during Dhikr ceremonies, and babies during their name-giving ceremony.

However, the wearing of the Medowra has now become a cultural practice that can be closely tied to capitalism. This can be seen in the shift from originally draping the more colourful Medowra over one’s head to the popular way of pinning and wiring the white gauze to replicate that of a crown. The shift to white gauze can be tied to the universal trend of the “white wedding” dress that first became popular during the Victorian era. This change in the wearing of the Medowra can be seen throughout colonialist periods in South Africa, and I aim to survey this through the work of deconstructing the Medowra.

As such, I have created sculptural pieces that are comprised of techniques used to make the Medowra, the materials used to make it, and the technique of pinning it. In my practice, I am looking at different ways of utilizing Medowra materials to create unimagined manifestations. Through this, I also hope to reconnect and survey the practice of wearing Medowra and its purpose in my current reality.

In a photographic series and performance piece shot on video, I have aimed to show a reconnection to the practices surrounding the Medowra. The photographic series is comprised of the sculptural pieces of chiffon that have been suspended and layered in front of each other. Amid all these pieces I am found. However, I am almost always concealed behind them and not wearing them. The video shows a simple process of me seated behind a larger piece of suspended chiffon, trying to pin the chiffon above my head to replicate that of a Medowra. With both the video and the photographic series I am addressing my previous disconnect from the practice of wearing the Medowra, by trying to insert myself back into its practice, and this documentation has provided a cathartic process to my reconnection and appreciation for the Medowra and the practice of wearing it.