Head Trainer/ Weaver Extraordinaire at
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I have always been dedicated to my work because I believe that if you really want to make a success in your life, you need to put your heart and soul into whatever you do. I love what I do. I feel that whenever I touch something it is indescribable. It’s like I’m part of what I’m doing and it’s part of me. I like working with people. I think some people are misunderstood and all one needs to do is to try and understand them so that they can relate to you. I love my life. The best part of my life is the knowledge that I can teach a skill to somebody to uplift their way of life. The satisfaction is of training somebody from scratch and watching what they are capable of in a few moths – it’s magnificent! I took advantage of an opportunity which I received many, many years ago : “something I have and will never regret”. Hopefully there will be others like me.. Continuation (as told to Alex Daniel)...... Nazeema tells the story of how she met my father that day many years ago. My father always had a passion for weaving. His small “hobby” shop was on 57 Loop street. That day Nazeema was a young girl of 20 years old, en route for an interview at a florist. She got lost, and entered 57 Loop Street thinking it was 57 Long Street. She immediately knew she wasn’t in a florist. She was confronted by 23 ladies happily weaving away. She mentioned that she was lost and actually on her way to an interview to be a florist. The suggestion came from the other ladies that she may as well ask the boss for a job here. My father saw this young Muslim girl enter the shop. After a brief chat he told her that he thought she didn’t have what it took to be a good weaver. With that, and a despondence in her heart, Nazeema left thinking: Who is he to know that, if I haven’t even tried. (The only consolation she had was that this encounter shouldn’t have happened at all). Just as she was musing over this strange man and his words, a woman came running up behind her to inform her that the boss would like to see her once more. She wondered what it could possibly be about now. Did he want to add insult to injury or what? As she once again arrived at his desk, my dad turned and said: “I think I’d like to give you an opportunity. Come back on Monday morning. You will have to start as a finisher and take it from there.” Nazeema smiled: That was fine. That was great! She left again. This time her heart soared. She didn’t realize that 30 years later she’d be one of the worlds finest weavers. Her wrong turn had led her onto a path that would see many joys and many sorrows, but as long as she was weaving it would only be joy that brought her back to the warp and weft she so loved. Please see more of Nazeema's work at the KRAAL Gallery, Stellenbosch. Some “specialist retailers” will also carry selected weaves. |
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