Daily Bread
Etching and screenprint
Edition 1 of 3
2 Part: (2) 59,2 cm x 42 cm
Artist’s Statement
My project, Daily Bread, examines the inner conflict experienced by individuals living between Christianity and African ancestral spirituality, focusing on a young woman embodying this duality. Inspired by interviews with women navigating both traditions, the work questions how these systems pressure adherents into choosing sides, presenting belief as an either/or proposition rather than a complex heritage.
Drawing from a documented conversation, one woman describes ancestors as divine intermediaries akin to “guardian angels,” yet explicitly rejects worshipping them, asserting loyalty solely to a single creator. Her experience reflects a widespread struggle: Christianity condemns ancestral veneration as heresy, while African spirituality views the Bible as suppressing pre-colonial wisdom. This spiritual conflict becomes politicised — a contest for souls where doctrines serve as manifestos and rituals as propaganda.
I express this tension using a newspaper metaphor, depicting spirituality as a battleground covered in competing headlines and op-eds declaring one path superior. The woman’s story grounds the narrative; her personal rituals (like burning sage or Basotho-inspired stargazing) contrast with symbols of the church. The newspaper’s fragmented design visually echoes her fractured identity, caught between the kraal (ancestral homestead) and the cross.
Her poignant words, “We don’t worship ancestors, we worship God… but Christianity diluted our ways”, resonate throughout. Daily Bread asks who gains from this division and envisions a space where both worldviews coexist not as rivals, but as complementary expressions of the sacred. By amplifying her voice, I highlight the quiet resistance of those who integrate both faiths, creating a mosaic that honours spiritual complexity.
Ultimately, Daily Bread calls attention to the spiritual limbo created by history and advocates for the right to embrace both traditions.
Gallery
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