Exhibition: Qula Kwedini: A Solo Exhibition by Mzie Gojo
Dates: 8 May – 16 June 2025
Venue: Main Building, Oliewenhuis Art Museum, 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein
Oliewenhuis Art Museum is proud to present Qula Kwedini, a deeply personal and culturally resonant solo exhibition by South African artist Mzie Gojo, on view from 8 May to 16 June 2025. Rooted in Xhosa traditions and reflecting Gojo’s rural Eastern Cape upbringing, the exhibition draws on the symbolic power of the sacred song Qula Kwedini to explore themes of identity, healing, and collective memory. With his distinctive visual language and use of culturally significant materials like cow dung, Gojo creates a powerful sensory experience that bridges ancestral knowledge and contemporary social commentary.
Mzie Gojo, born and raised in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, completed his Matric at Ngcongolo Senior Secondary School in 1995. Shortly thereafter, he was employed at a furniture manufacturing factory, where he worked for seven years, primarily as a data capturer. He later pursued his passion for art at the Funda Centre. Qula Kwedini marks Gojo’s second solo exhibition.
The title of the exhibition, Qula Kwedini, references a revered Xhosa sacred song, traditionally sung to herald important communal events, such as the return of a young man from initiation school. Deeply rooted in Xhosa oral tradition, this song symbolizes celebration, unity, and the transition into manhood. It is also performed during stick-fighting gatherings, where young men demonstrate skill, strength, and solidarity. These rituals evoke profound memories for Gojo, as they were part of his formative years.
In the Xhosa cultural settings, as throughout the history of humanity across cultures – traditional song and dance is one of the beautiful forms of cultural pride and identity that is celebrated through communal events and also promote social dialogues. The song, Qula Kwedini, is one of the “mombelo” songs, passed down through generations, encouraging young men to stand out and embrace their societal roles. In today’s postmodern context, the song also offers a lens to critique social and political imbalances.
Gojo creatively juxtaposes the symbolism of Qula Kwedini with iKhambi, a Zulu term for indigenous herbal remedies. He draws parallels between these healing practices and his art making process, which seeks somatic and spiritual restoration through indigenous knowledge systems. With his meticulous and distinctive stylistic approach in encoding and decoding the inspired messages onto canvas, he does not ‘mince his words’ in capturing the details of form, warts and all.
Deeply inspired by the landscapes and traditions of rural South Africa, Gojo incorporates materials such as cow dung into his work. This medium is not only a cultural signifier, but also a tactile link to his upbringing. In Xhosa tradition, cow dung is used in kraals spaces where men gather for discussions and ancestral rituals it symbolizes wealth, stability, and spiritual grounding. For him the use of cow dung is not only about cultural reasons but also experiencing the inner satisfaction and the inner discomfort of real social issues that used to connect people with “umthonyama” (old cow dung that stayed overtime in the kraal). Gojo’s deliberate use of this material evokes both nostalgia and discomfort, prompting reflection on contemporary social disconnection.
At its core, Qula Kwedini is a call to action, a sonic and visual announcement, The works, filled with cryptic symbols and layered meanings, invite viewers to interrogate the social fabric and reconnect with cultural memory. For Mzie Qula kwedini is a medium of communication as he recalls the phrase “Umntu ngumntu Ngabantu” which literally translates, a person is a person by other people. He is wistfully whispering through the peace and calm of his work for our memories to recall the ways of the past, as the past impacts the present.
The exhibition can be viewed until Monday, 16 June 2025. Oliewenhuis Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein and is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays between 09:00 and 16:00. A ramp at the entrance of the main entrance provides access for wheelchairs, while a lift provides access to the Permanent Collection display areas on the 1st floor. R10 parking fee will be charged but entrance to the museum is free.
For more information please contact the Museum at 078 968 4300 or oliewen@nasmus.co.za. Stay up to date by following Oliewenhuis Art Museum on Facebook, Instagram and X for all upcoming exhibitions and events.
