Stitching Heritage Chapter Three: Shweshwe and African Heritage Textiles

Stitching Heritage: Chapter 3 — Shweshwe & African Heritage Practices

As part of South Africa’s Heritage Month, Cape Town Stitch to Resist presents Chapter 3 of Stitching Heritage, an exploration of African heritage through thread, fibre, material and making.

Join us for a morning of cultural learning, reflection, conversation and hands-on slow making with guest speakers Khensani Mohlatlole, who will explore African handcraft traditions, material culture and the evolving place of shweshwe within African textile practices, and Sharif Mosa, a Palestinian activist and media creator sharing reflections on the occupation of the West Bank.

The making session brings together wire mesh, shweshwe, thread and tatreez as materials through which to consider histories of colonisation, oppression, resilience and cultural continuity.

Wire speaks to the harshness of the systems that have shaped African lives, while the softness of embroidery and textile offers another language; one of resilience, adaptation, memory and continuity.

Participants will learn to tatreez the marula tree, drawing from Tsonga traditions, onto wire mesh, creating a piece that brings together layers of history, heritage and meaning.

What to Expect

• Cultural learning and conversation with Khensani Mohlatlole and Sharif Mosa
• An exploration of African textile and handcraft heritage
• A closer look at shweshwe and its incorporation into African textile practices
• Hands-on slow making with wire mesh, shweshwe, thread and embroidery
• Learning to tatreez the marula tree, drawing from Tsonga traditions, onto wire mesh
• Space for reflection, dialogue and connection through making
• A handmade piece to continue and finish at home

No previous embroidery experience required. All materials provided.

Cross - Subsidised Tickets

We use a cross-subsidised model to make the workshop accessible across different income levels.

Community Access — Free: For those whom the ticket cost is a barrier.

Early Bird: Limited discounted tickets.

Standard: Supports the sustainability of the programme.

Date: Saturday, 5 September 2026

Time: 10:30–13:30

Venue: Bertha House, Mowbray

Come ready to listen, learn, make and sit with the many stories held within material, memory and heritage.