South African Home Owner – September 2019

THENENZIMASERVERBYTHEURBANATIVE

MphoVackiersharesthehistorybehindtheNenzimaS

DesignedandreleasedunderthecollectionnameAfrican

Crowns,theNenzimaServerpayshomagetoqueenNenzima

oftheMangbetutribe,whowastheyoungersisterofthe19th

centuryrulerMbunza,andthewifeofOkondo.Shewasreported

tobeoneofthemostpowerfulpeoplein thecourtin thefirst

decadeofthe20thcentury.Theoverallshape,linesandform

oftheserver,alongwiththeweaveddetailelements,areall

inspiredbythedistinctivelookoftheelongatedheadsofmost

Mangbetuwomenat thetime,resultingfromtheculturalpractice

of‘Lipombo’,whichwasa statussymbolamongtheMangbetu

rulingclasses.Alongwiththeelongatedhead,thehairstyle

accompanyingtheoveralllookwasanovalorfunnel-shaped

coiffure,whichendedin anoutwardhalo.Originallysymbolicof

highsocialstatus,thiswasconsideredexceptionallyattractive

andpowerfulandhencetheinclusionin TheUrbanative’sAfrican

CrownsCollection.

“TheUrbanativeconstantlyexplorestheroleofculture

andculturalrepresentationsinmodernsocieties,with

theaimoftellingcontemporaryAfricanstoriesthrough

modernfurnitureandproductdesign.”–MphoVackier

Mpho Vackier, founder

of TheUrbanative

The Nenzima Server by TheUrbanative: Terrazzo, Powdercoated steel and bamboo shelf

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Urbanative

The Collection Studio

Fabric Bank The Y chair by Heino Schmitt Design, featuring fabrics by Mary Jean and Karabo Mokaila