For the past 8 moons, I’ve felt your presence patiently igniting my heart, like a wildfire your love is hard to extinguish and I’ve watched you wandered off like a lost soul searching for the right words to bind us together.
If only you knew you had me at Hello and today I’m yours to keep.
There’s an unspoken love language, that resonates in each of us sometimes it’s bold and beautiful, at times it’s subtle yet eye-catching.
It has a way of warming up even the coldest heart igniting a fire of wanting more, it makes the soul dance to a rhythm of madness after all love binds us together, giving us a sense of belonging. It makes everything seem okay even when the world shuts you out.
The heart of beadwork
Beadwork is a craft that’s skillfully passed on from one generation to the next, through practice and imitating skilled experts those usually being mothers and grandmothers. This art form is culturally done by women and it’s adorned by both male and female.
It’s often rare to find pieces that are identical because beadwork was seen as a form of storytelling which is unique to the narrator( bead worker) and the receiver.
Ucu
The art of accepting a man’s love
Ucu is the original Zulu love letter beautifully written to accept the suitor’s proposal of a relationship, the Maiden would create a bracelet using colourful beads to show her love towards her suitor, It’s her way of accepting the man’s love and the start of their relationship.
Ucu became a love language not easily accessible and uneasily broken, certain colours expressed her emotions and social status and expectations of hopes for the relationship, for example, the red colour could express the intense love she feels for him, whereas the white could be an indication of her purity (virginity) whereas the blue could perhaps refer to her need for faithfulness.
There were usually 7 basic colours with specific meaning however, they subjected to change depending on the context and state of the relationship.
Is a traditional belt usually worn by men and women, it’s usually made of leather or basket and decorated with beautiful beads. During the 17th century, it was previously decorated with shells and other materials however with the popularity and accessibility of beads the colours change however the geometric patterns stay the same.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Zulu love letters and umutsha are not just bold fashion statements they carry a piece of history and heritage which is beautiful, poetic and uniquely African.