Our connection with SOIL means we share
a kinship with all of creation. Every living
thing shares a common Ancestor—the SOIL
from which we come.

The Hazendal Festival | Soil Edition brings
together scientists, artists, cultural
visionaries to think alongside each other
about SOIL from indigenous, spiritual,
critical, artistic, and cultural perspectives—
thus giving us insights into SOIL—Umhlaba.

The surface or upper layer where plant life
grows A black or brown material consisting
of organic remains— clay, rock particles
Earth, loam, sod, ground, dirt A fertile soil
of clay and sand containing humus Clay,
turf, mould, marl, dust Soil —a territory of a
particular nation We have lived here, we
ate here, we danced here, we made love
here, we birthed here, we were killed here

These grounds know our blood, flesh and
bones—the earth calls us by our names
ashes to dust / dust to ashes Uthuthu
eluthulwini… Territory, land, space, terrra
firma They need to rest themselves on dry
land Domain, dominion, orbit, jurisdiction,
region, country

The curved path of a celestial object the
earth calls us by our names Uthuthu
eluthulwini… The tracing of earth linage
gives us sense of deep time—Geological
Time. The cartographic lines of the map
become an imprint, a way to both locate
and dislocate. How these LIFE lines hold
our connection to the environment, and
how they call us to be present to this
geographical location and what it has
witnessed and what wants to say…

Belele nje, abathulanga is an Abe’mbo
metaphor which recognizes that even
though our Ancestors have passed on, their
death does not render them silent—that
they continue to speak with us through
spiritual dreaming / ukuthonga, visions /
imibono, rituals / imisebenzi, laws or
traditions / imithetho, customs / izithethe,
ceremonies / indibano, linage / umlibo. We
use this metaphor to enter a deep time
conversation with SOIL by engaging

Ecological Grief as Love and being guided
by Rematriation as an indigenous
knowledge system for path finding, making
way in how we hold our shared Inheritance.

Curated by Khanyisile Mbongwa