Why did you pick this furniture piece?
I feel that this piece of furniture is a staple piece at all function and events, and is something everyone thinks about.
Explain what this furniture piece means to you or your family/friends?
I feel like this piece of furniture represents community and the bringing together of family and friends. This piece of furniture I feel is the bridge that brings two families together at a wedding, and simultaneously acts as the web-like structure keeping families together and close-knit during those tough conversations at janazahs, all will acting as a tennis court net during those heated debates as friends. I feel the Blad en bokkie is a staple in most, if not all Coloured homes in Cape Town, and those who have moved away.
Tell me a story around this furniture piece? A memory, a thought or something that happened recently.
For the longest time, I didn’t know that the word bokkie actually meant trestle leg in ‘proper’ English terms, I just assumed everyone called it a bokkie. Until I had to explain to a friend of mine, who is originally from Joburg, that we used a bunch of bokkies outside my Oupas house cause he invited people over from the mosque and there was no place for people to sit inside. Finally after some back and forth we both figured out what I was talking about. The same can be said for the word ‘coil’ which fun fact means ‘to drool’, but that doesn’t have anything to do with furniture.
How does this piece of furniture make you feel?
When I see the blad en bokkie come out, my first thought is, Yorh! I need to later help pack that away. For some reason, it was always packed in the most awkward of places where there is lots of dust and spiders. However, with that same thought, I use to get excited cause I knew that a lot of people are about to come over and the entertainment level was about to rise exponentially, especially as a kid.
Do you think this piece of furniture represents us as Coloureds? Why?
I feel that this piece of furniture has been overlooked many times even though it plays such a crucial role at functions and events. Therefore I think it represents how Coloured people are easily forgotten and left on the sidelines but we still play a major part in the everyday functions of South Africa.
How would you describe your interpretation of Colouredness?
To me, Colouredness is something I have struggled with for almost my entire life, only recently through research for projects I have done for university have I realised that I have been misidentifying myself and so have many others. To me, Colouredness is not only my racial identifier but is also the way I speak, choose to dress and in the foods, I eat and grew up with. Colouredness is an aspect of who i am.
What other things strongly represent Colouredness?
