On Isolation, Heirlooms and Solidarity
How the Sankara Rug became a comfort away from home.
The lockdown was only meant to have lasted for 21 days. At the time, there were only 61 recorded positive coronavirus cases in South Africa. In announcing the national state of disaster on March 15, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the country would be under a curfew, and we would only be allowed to leave our homes to buy food or for medical reasons. Everything else would be closed including schools, restaurants, beaches and liquor stores.
In order to save lives, the best thing to do, was to self-isolate, if possible. By the time the pandemic hit, I had already been working from home. As the weeks followed, I found myself sitting on my gray, white and brown wool graphic rug in my small apartment in Cape Town, wondering if I had made the right decision to be alone instead of rejoining my family 1467 kilometers away in Pretoria.
