Arts
English and African heritage makes the Basotho blanket art you can wear─── 09:00 Wed, 22 Oct 2025
Showcasing the unique and engaging designs of traditional and contemporary Basotho Blankets, the exhibition “Sutha Ke Fete” runs until 16 November 2025 in the Reservoir Gallery at Oliewenhuis Art Museum in Bloemfontein.
The exhibition is presented by Sanlam, in collaboration with the National Museum. Stefan Hundt, curator of the Sanlam Art Collection, says this is a memorable exhibition that celebrates the rich history and heritage of Basotho blankets and the shared stories they represent.
Hundt joins Yolanda Maartens in the OFM Art Beat with all the details of this vibrant exhibition.
“Sutha keFete” means “make way so I may pass” in Sesotho, an invitation to make way for an imagined passerby, wrapped in a richly decorated heritage blanket.
Oliewenhuis Art Museum is a satellite of the National Museum, Bloemfontein, an agency of the department of sport, arts and culture.
With exquisite heritage blankets on loan from the Anthropology Collection of the National Museum, along with 26 Basotho blankets from the Sanlam Art Collection, including Aranda’s Young Basotho Designer range, the exhibition celebrates the stories of the blankets, which have become an iconic brand identity of a nation.
“Every unique design tells a story, while weaving together an overarching commentary on the political, cultural, and economic development of our nation.
“We are proud to be showing this collection at Oliewenhuis Art Museum following the inaugural display at the Sanlam Art Gallery in Cape Town and the Sanlam Art Lounge in Sandton this year.
The ‘Sutha Ke Fete’ Exhibition in the Reservoir Gallery at the Oliewenhuis Art Museum. Photo supplied
“This comprehensive collection, augmented by loans from private collections, provides a rare opportunity to view never-before-seen blankets," says Hundt.
The blankets hold a rich tapestry of history, reaching back about 160 years, to when they were first manufactured in mills in England’s Yorkshire, before winding their way to the Cape of Good Hope, Port Elizabeth, and then on to Leribe and the other mountainous districts of Basutoland (now Lesotho).
They tell intertwining tales of Africa and England, and clothiers and early capitalism.
And thus, English and African heritage make the Basotho blanket art you can wear.
OFM
