Morphological Confetti

This is a photo of a Praying Mantis I saw on my fence on Thursday afternoon.  I found it to be so beautiful among the tall grass that I immediately took a picture with my phone.  It made the Mantis a bit nervous, but it stood still enough for me to shoot the photo.  In some cultures, the spotting a Praying Mantis is said to bring good fortune. For instance, the Bushman of the Kalahari saw it as a divine being.  The Khoi San people observed its manner and prayerful pose as meditation and reflection; they saw it as a formidable attribute.  Although not directly, It may have something to do with its scientific name, Mantodea , which in greek means "prophet."  However, I don't believe such things.  Besides, my good fortune comes from the One who created the Praying Mantis.  Nevertheless, I did feel fortunate to capture one of God's beautiful creatures on camera.  Have a great weekend and don't forget to turn your...

I wanted to love you the first moment I saw you. I watched. What did I notice about you first? It was your face or maybe your eyes. No, I saw you from behind so it was your head and the shape of your hips. *blush* I later learned that your hair was cut short out of respect and honor of Abambo (father) who had recently passed away in South Africa. You later mentioned that your head is shaped like his. “He is from Malawi,” you said with a smile. I smiled. It was the shape of your head that caused me to remember a moment in time. At the time, I did not know that you were from the Bantu people, but the shape of your head reminded me of the Khoisan of the Kalahari (Bushmen). They are your ancestors, but I didn’t know. Where have I seen a head like that? Yes! I remember now! I saw your head once when I was flipping through a book about the indigenous people of the Earth. There was a photo of a beautiful Khoisan woman, who was confident and young. She was surrounded by the people of her tri...

oil and paper on board 4x6 By: Stephen Bess I did this piece in 2005 in honor of Stephen Biko. Peace~

Photo: South African History Online Stephen Bantu Biko was born on December 18, 1946 in the Kingwilliamstown, Cape Province of South Africa. He was born the third child and second son of Mr. and Mrs. Mzimgayi Biko. Unfortunately, Stephen would never come to know his father who died when Stephen was only 4 years old. Stephen’s mother was a maid, but she made certain that the young Stephen would receive an education. Education was not free at that time for Black children. Parents had to pay monthly fees to send their children to school. This was often a difficult task for the overwhelmingly poor conditions that existed among many native South Africans.  Families often resorted to selling chickens and other livestock just to ensure an education for their children. Stephen received his primary and secondary education in the Kingwilliamstown region before moving on to the Lovedale Institution in Alice. It was at Lovedale that Stephen received a “Bantu” Education. Essentially, a Bantu Ed...