| Ncõx’ae Ntcubi (1968 - ) | |
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Ncox’ae was a cleaner at the Kuru Cultural Centre since 1991. Being passionate about her culture, she took part in all the activities at the centre. Here she participated in programmes teaching traditional knowledge to children in D’Kar and at schools all over Botswana.
She became a member of the Naro Giraffe Dance group, a traditional dance group based in D’Kar. Together with this group she has travelled to Norway, Sweden and Germany for performances. Today the Naro Giraffe Dance Group often performs for tourists at various lodges in the Ghanzi area. She is also a good guide, who can take people on bush walks to learn about edible and medicinal plants and other bush skills.
At the Kuru Cultural Centre Ncox’ae took part in the organisation of the first Kuru Dance Festival held in D’Kar in 1997. Since then she has been an active participant in more than 20 of these festivals.
While working at the Kuru Cultural Centre, she attended a Fabric Paint workshop, where they have made beautiful hand painted curtains for the offices and church in D’Kar. When she resigned from her job at the Cultural Centre in later years, she continued with Fabric painting at the Kuru Art Project. In 2017 she entered one of her hand painted and embroidered cloths in the Botswana National competitions and won the second prize for the region of Ghanzi in the category. In 2018 she walked away with the first prize in the Ghanzi region.
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| Ncg’abe Tãse (Nxabe) (1956 - ) | |
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Ncg’abe is one of the first Kuru artists still with us today. She joined the Kuru Art Project in 1992 together with her close friend Cg’ose Ntcox’o. Her husband, Xgaiga Qhomatcã, is also an artist at the Kuru Art Project.
Apart from visual art, Ncg’abe is a keen traditional dancer and musician and she and Xgaiga are founder members of the Nharo Giraffe Dance Group.
Although she also makes beautiful linoleum prints, etchings and lithographs, Ncg’abe prefers to work with oil paint on canvas. The large-scale canvasses give her more freedom and directness, which is difficult to get with the printmaking techniques.
She loves the strange combinations of plants, birds and other creatures like snakes and insects on her canvasses. The leaves, twigs and creatures in her art sometimes form abstract patterns with great appeal. She also depicts beadwork patterns and the patterns on the shaved skin aprons, which she remembers her grandmothers had made.
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| Ntcisa Kase 1966 | |
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Born in 1966 Ntcisa grew up on the farms in the Ghanzi District.
She decides to become an artist at the Kuru Art Project in the beginning of 2018. She loves most to work in oil paint on canvas and has tried her hand at a few linocuts. Therefore she had a chance to have some of her work exhibited at the exhibition: Off Elands and Giraffes and Tea cups and Helicopters ..................and the First Peoples of the Kalahari, at the National Museum in Gaborone in November 2018. View Gallery |
| Qasa Morris 1965 - | |
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Qasa was born in D'Kar.
She started to work as a part time cleaner at the Kuru Art Project in 2015. She attended an embroidery workshop at the project and started to make embroideries in her free time for an extra income.
At the moment Qasa has a small team of young girls whom she has taught to assist with the embroideries. They make original cushion covers and bags. The beginners also embroider smaller pieces of cloth which is then sewn into beautiful patchwork blankets.
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| Qgam Khãx’a (1965 - ) | |
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Born in the Ghanzi district, Qgam joined the Kuru Art Project in 1997.
Through his art, he portrays a deep knowledge of the animals, the veld and the traditions of his people. He is a good traditional dancer and often takes part in dance ceremonies in the village.
Along with the other Kuru artists, his work has been exhibited worldwide. He attended the Thapong International Artists workshop in Botswana in 1999 and found it a very enriching experience. He enjoyed working with different artists but seems not to have been influenced by their styles, which differs widely from his own. View Gallery |
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