YOUNG people can unleash their creativity if they follow in the footsteps of gogo Noria Mabasa.
The 84-year-old gets her creativity from listening to her ancestors in her dreams. Gogo Noria from Tshigalo in Venda, Limpopo, who is a woodcarver, only attended formal schooling for a year. But she listened to her ancestors when they told her what to do to succeed. And today she’s a successful woodcarver.
In 1976, gogo Noria was the first Venda woman to do woodcarving. She said she was ridiculed and labelled as crazy when she took on the task of carving.
“When my ancestors called on me to take up woodcarving, I answered the calling.
“I do not carve anything until I see it in a dream. Therefore, I sometimes take naps during the day,” she said.
She said she grew up poor but her family’s living conditions improved as soon as she embraced the gift her ancestors gave her.
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Among gogo’s achievements is the 2002 Order of the Baobab. Also counted in her portfolio is the famous piece titled The Drum of Thunder, a masterpiece that sold for R150 000 during an auction in 2017.
Gogo Noria completed a residency and exhibition at Nirox Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind, Krugersdorp from 23 May to 6 June, where 38 wood and clay works were featured.
The exhibition, titled Noria Mabasa Shaping Dreams, was supported by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.
