Beyond reason, beyond doubt.
... beyond proof.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
A woman’s underwear is treated with taboo in Zimbabwean culture. It is a form of protest when a woman publicly exhibits her intimate garments. Kresiah Mukwazhi exploits the notion by using female underwear in her work.
Mukwazhi takes matters to a head with her piece titled Zvemukati III. The Shona word zvemukati is a euphemism used to avoid mentioning women’s undergarments by name. It literally means that which is from inside. Meaning it should stay hidden from public view. The same word is used to describe entrails from a slaughtered beast or fowl. When people trade insults, to mention zvemukati is both shameful and disgraceful.
Mukwazhis’ piece is made from garments sourced from the market for used clothing. The material is emotionally loaded. The work is made up of bra straps and stockings sculpted over wire. Colorful fabric bound together, like tendons over raw flesh. The object is elongated, with twisted, sagging, bulging, and dangling parts. It looks as if it was ripped out with violence.
When a woman exposes herself as a form of protest, public opinion may easily sway in her favor.
Legend has it that if a woman takes off her undergarment and strikes an accused male with it. In a traditional court. The matter should be settled in her favor instantly. There must be no question of trying to understand by logic. The gesture invokes integrity rooted in the sacredness of womanhood.
Mukwazhi’s piece is a womans’ raw and vibrant testimony. It bypasses logic. In its presence, self-deceptive rationalizations are stunned into silence.
