Anna Richerby

Thank you so much @pamanasg for giving me a reason to go back into my studio. I miss it so much! We're wishing you all the luck and fortitude as you prepare for Boutiques!

A short reflection and update. My colleagues are wonderful.

I recently embarked on a little experiment to see how much time it would take to make a pair of these earrings, which are marketed primarily to tourists, and cost R195 at retail. The moment I saw the price I was alarmed; concerned that the maker would not have received even minimum wage for their work. There's no way to prove that they were underpaid, but I think the calculations show that it's pretty unlikely that they were. A few notes: You'll notice I say "our" about South Africa, and I do so with a very British accent! I've lived in Cape Town and volunteered and worked in the craft sector for the past twenty years, but I'm aware that I'm still an interloper! I feel very defensive of my adopted home, and the amazing crafters/artists/designers/heritage-protectors who aren't given the respect they deserve. If you recognise where I bought these, please don't tag them. This is an industry-wide issue, not isolated to one shop. I don't know who made these, but I want to be clear that I don't blame them for selling their work for so little money. Beaders are not the people controlling the prices here. Please feel free to share (respectful) thoughts, questions and ideas in the comments. #beadwork #beads #southafricanbeadwork #labourrights #culturalheritage

What a year it was. The Year of Admin A house bought for @woodsidescc to welcome volunteers. A primary school place and a high school place for my children, close enough that I can drop them both off in the morning (you only know what a miracle this is if you'd dealt with the @wced_official ) Three new fantastic board members for @woodsidescc The long awaited death of my car and finding its (hopefully better) replacement. The Year of Study Finally taking @kharnita.mohamed 's incredible Disability and Debility course, by which I am forever changed. Finishing the final module of my MPH. A mini-thesis remains then I'll finally add some letters to my name! The Year of Inspiration I met @aminattaforna the same day that @zohrankmamdani was elected as mayor of New York. My glorious goddaughter got through her matric exams with grace and serenity. I am forever in awe of her. I reembraced a former love by turning my hand to making an adapted computer keyboard for a Woodside resident. My incredible parents stood beside me this year, offering all the support they could to help me achieve what I hoped for. The Year of global Beloved The formidable Kristina @pamanasg brought Beloved to Singapore with such passion and beautiful presentation. I'm so lucky to call her a colleague. And my beloved sister Jennifer opened @belovedbeadworknorthamerica . My amazing nieces and I began the work of photographing, coding, quantifying and uploading every item we make at Beloved. 2026 is the year this work will be finished. My fervent prayer for 2026 is more space for creativity. Hence these photos. A short while ago a friend told me she was resting close to the Blombos caves, spending her days collecting shells on the shore. I asked if she could find me any alikreukel shell mouth covers. She brought me a litre jar full back. I used to love beading these into pendants, and I hope I'll have the time to do so and many other creative projects too this year. Happy New Year to our Beloved family, may this year be kind to you.

The waterlillies in Green Point Park are glorious today.

Today was a hot one in Cape Town. We decided the best plan was to head to the coolness and beauty of the Iziko South African Museum. Picture 1: there's an extensive exhibition on rock art which I wish I had more time in (I was being dragged through by my five year old!). There was a really interesting use of ethnographic texts and contemporary practices to explore the themes within the ancient art. Picture 2: alongside an exhibition on Tata Rolihlahla Mandela, who famously wore a similar collar to this at his 1962 trial, is this beautiful piece. Picture 3: I appreciate that they stated 'Maker Unknown'. Too often the maker of beadwork isn't given thought even in museum collections. And shout out to our friend Steven Long! Picture 4: ancient shell beads from the Blombos Caves. Picture 5: more info on the Blombos artifacts. Picture 6: A collection of loved and special objects in an incredible exhibition exploring themes of evolution, DNA, humanity, identity and belonging. Picture 7: 1000 year old iron beads from Limpopo. Picture 8: I'm fascinated by the IsiXhosa translation here. Often we hear the word instimbi used for the word bead, though amaso is also used (the singular of which word, iliso, means 'eye', which never ceases to fascinate me). To see them used together in this context is really interesting - if anyone has any insight on this translation I'd be very grateful.

The other day a fellow preschool mum texted me the words every working single mum longs to hear: "would you like me to have her for the day?". Time is the greatest gift you can give to someone who is time-poor. I got important jobs done, and I also had time for some connection. Time to think, time to sit with colleagues and reflect on the year. Just the time to put together this little posey of flowers for her from my garden to say thank you is so precious. I am praying for some creative time these 'holidays'. Time to bead, time to prepare the house so that the shift to primary and high school feels manageable, time to make plans for the year ahead. I hope you also find some gifts of time this season.

They're here, they're here, the new business cards are here!

As we move into a new year, I'm delighted to share the launch of a long-held vision to open @belovedbeadworknorthamerica . After working with an incredible group of women beadwork artists in Cape Town for nearly 20 years, Anna Richerby and I have created a curated collection of beadwork available for acquisition in the USA and Canada. Each piece reflects core principles of labor dignity by providing sustainable incomes and flexibility for all artists. Visit our new online store [belovedbeadworknorthamerica.com], Follow @belovedbeadworknorthamerica , and sign up for our newsletter. Every piece connects wearable sculptural art to support for global women artists and the principles of ethical exchange.

Eighteen years ago I was standing in line at the vetkoek shop adjacent to my workplace in Khayelitsha, when Jennifer walked in. I'm so grateful for that day and the eighteen years of beautiful sisterhood since. Jennifer has been one of Beloved's biggest supporters, and a constant source of encouragement. And today, Jennifer launched @belovedbeadworknorthamerica ! We're so excited. From now on, Beloved pieces are available to be shipped from within the US.

These days I have a complicated relationship with the festive season. It's an intense time of work for me. I don't have childcare, it's the beginning of peak season for Beloved, and my voluntary work also steps up a notch. This year, though, rather than resenting the extra work, I've decided to indulge little joys here and there, and make the most of Cape Town's beauty. Today was full of work, but at 6pm the kids and I piled into the car, and ate our supper on picnic blankets while we watched the sunset. It was gorgeous.

If you live in South Africa you're probably seeing a lot of purple at the moment. For those outside the country, you've probably heard that South Africa has one of the worst gender based violence situations in the world, so South African women and people from minoritised genders are rising up. The plan is for an Iceland-style national shutdown on Friday, where we refuse to provide our paid and unpaid labour for a day. As a small business owner, I always feel tentative in how to approach these movements. Personally I'm supportive, but I don't feel entitled to speak for my team, and this business is all of us. There's a risk of, in this case, purple-washing, where corporates perform support and in the process a people-led movement loses its teeth, becoming another national day where we all wear a particular colour and carry on with business as usual. In my mind, the most important thing for small and large businesses to do in preparation for a day like Friday is to commit to our employees' political rights. Don't tell us how much you care about women. Tell your employees that they will still be paid on Friday if they don't come to work, and they won't face disciplinary consequences. After that, focus on ways to make everyone safer in the work environment. Gender based violence doesn't only happen at home. Love, power and strength to everyone taking part, and to everyone grieving.