in981-King-protea-in-the-ashes-a-parable-of-nirvana-under-the-South-African-flag

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April is South Africa’s Freedom Month. When people look up at the red, blue, green, gold, black and white national flag, they always remember the magnificent moment when the “rainbow” broke through the sky when the apartheid system collapsed in 1994. At this moment, in a cafe in Johannesburg, a copper ashtray in the shape of a king protea is reflecting the same light. This artifact, based on the national flower, carries a deeper metaphor than its practical function. The extinguished embers in the ashtray are just like all the sufferings that have been burned in South Africa’s history – colonial oppression, racial discrimination, and social division. But just like the characteristics of the king protea: its rhizome can bloom the most gorgeous flowers in the scorched earth burned by wildfires after lying dormant underground for several years. Those heavy ashes will eventually turn into nutrients for new life. The V-shaped intersecting ribbons on the national flag form a wonderful resonance with the spiral petals of the ashtray. The black diamond base symbolizes the power of the people, holding up the hope like a golden stamen; the blue represents the sky, which becomes deeper and deeper in the mottled oxidation of the copper. Every action of extinguishing a cigarette butt is reenacting the South African spirit of “Phoenix Nirvana” – turning harm into nutrients, allowing people of different skin colors to gather together like petals. When the waiter cleans the ashtray, the accumulated ashes are blown up by the wind, and in the sunlight through the colored glass, they turn into the same rainbow as the fluttering national flag. This country always believes that the most brilliant rebirth always begins with the warmth of ashes.

April is Vryheidsmaand in Suid-Afrika. Wanneer mense opkyk na die nasionale vlag met ses verweefde kleure van rooi, blou, groen, goud, swart en wit, onthou hulle altyd die wonderlike oomblik toe die “reënboog” deur die lug gebreek het toe die apartheidstelsel in 1994 ineengestort het. Op hierdie oomblik, in ‘n kafee in Johannesburg, weerkaats ‘n koperasbak in die vorm van ‘n protea dieselfde lig. Hierdie voorwerp, gemodelleer na die nasionale blom, dra ‘n metafoor dieper as sy praktiese funksie. Die gebluste kole in die asbak is net soos al die lyding wat in Suid-Afrika se geskiedenis verbrand is – koloniale onderdrukking, rassediskriminasie en sosiale verdeeldheid. Maar soos die aard van die koningprotea is: sy wortelstokke kan vir etlike jare dormant ondergronds lê, en dan blom die pragtigste blomme in die verskroeide aarde wat deur veldbrande verbrand is. Daardie swaar as sal uiteindelik in voedingstowwe vir nuwe lewe verander. Die V-vormige kruisende linte op die nasionale vlag vorm ‘n wonderlike resonansie met die spiraalvormige blomblare op die asbak. Die swart diamantbasis simboliseer die mag van die mense en hou hoop op soos ‘n goue stamper; Die blou verteenwoordig die lug, wat al hoe dieper word in die gevlekte voorkoms na die oksidasie van die brons. Elke aksie van die blus van ‘n sigaretstomp is ‘n herlewing van die Suid-Afrikaanse gees van “Phoenix Nirvana” – om skade in voeding te omskep, wat mense van verskillende velkleure toelaat om soos blomblare saam te groepeer. Toe die kelner die asbak skoonmaak, is die opgehoopte stof deur die wind opgewaai, en in die sonlig wat deur die gebrandskilderde glas geskyn het, het dit in dieselfde reënboog as die wapperende nasionale vlag verander. Hierdie land het nog altyd geglo dat die briljantste wedergeboorte altyd met die temperatuur van as begin.