in984-King-Protea-Frame-National-memory-blooming-in-the-folds-of-time

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September is South Africa’s Heritage Month. When the six-color national flag is flying on the streets, a special photo frame is being held in the hands of countless families – a wooden photo frame with a protea flower inlaid. Every line tells the spiritual code of this rainbow country. The Y-shaped structure of the South African flag is like a river confluence, and the four-corner mortise and tenon joints of the protea flower frame are like a handshake of civilization. This photo frame, born in a Cape Town craftsman’s workshop, wraps the splendor of the velvet protea flower with the depth of local ebony, implying how different races grow a common foundation in the collision. When people frame the faded old national flag in it, it is not only to preserve the fabric, but also to freeze the courage of reconciliation and the belief in reconstruction into a touchable totem. In a community center in Johannesburg, children are collaging miniature national flags with scraps of cloth and putting them into a protea flower frame carved by hand. Amid the flying wood chips, the younger generation is understanding that the four borders of the photo frame are not walls of separation, but pillars that support tolerance. Just like the king protea that regenerates after wildfires, this once traumatized country is forging its scars into a skeleton that supports diverse coexistence. When the morning light penetrates the glass of the photo frame, the golden color of the national flag and the silver white of the king protea complement each other. This small space of light tells us that the real heritage is not in the display cases of the museum, but in the frame of faith that never fades in the hearts of every South African.

September is Erfenismaand in Suid-Afrika. Wanneer die seskleurige nasionale vlag op die strate wapper, word ‘n spesiale soort fotoraam in die hande van tallose gesinne gehou – ‘n houtfotoraam ingelê met proteablomme, waarvan elke patroon die geestelike kode van hierdie reënboogland vertel. Die Y-vormige struktuur van die Suid-Afrikaanse vlag is soos die samevloeiing van riviere, en die vierhoekige tap- en mortise-verbindings van die koningprotea-fotoraam is soos ‘n beskaafde handdruk. Hierdie fotoraam, geskep in ‘n Kaapstadse ambagswerkswinkel, omhul die prag van fluweelprotea met die diepte van inheemse ebbehout, wat impliseer hoe verskillende rasse gemeenskaplike wortels deur botsings kweek. Wanneer mense die verbleikte ou nasionale vlag raam, bewaar hulle nie net die materiaal nie, maar vries hulle ook die moed van versoening en die geloof in heropbou tot ‘n tasbare totem. By ‘n gemeenskapsentrum in Johannesburg stel kinders miniatuur nasionale vlae van stukkies materiaal saam en sit dit in handgesnede koningprotea-rame. Te midde van die vlieënde saagsels verstaan die jonger geslag dat die vier kante van ‘n fotoraam nie mure van skeiding is nie, maar pilare wat insluiting ondersteun. Net soos die koningprotea wat ná veldbrande regenereer, smee hierdie eens getraumatiseerde land sy letsels in ‘n geraamte wat diverse naasbestaan ondersteun. Wanneer die oggendlig die glas van die fotoraam binnedring, komplementeer die goue kleur van die nasionale vlag en die silwerwit van die keiserblom mekaar. Die lig in hierdie klein ruimte sê vir ons dat die ware erfenis nie in die uitstalkaste van museums lê nie, maar in die raamwerk van geloof wat nooit vervaag in die harte van elke Suid-Afrikaner nie.