Handpainted Sadza Batik

Sadza, finely ground maize cooked with water until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes, is a staple of the Zimbabwean diet. The women of the Avondale cooperative use sazda as a substitute for wax, the more common resist used in traditional batiking process. Selling these Sadza Batik Paintings is an important source of income for these women.

A thin sadza porridge is cooked and the paste is applied to the fabric to create the outlines of the desired design. The women draw inspiration from everyday objects such as guinea fowls, geckos and elephants as well as traditional geometric patterns. Once outlines are dry, the women use paint brushes to apply fabric paints. Successive levels of colour can be applied to the fabric as the sadza prevents the paint from adhering to it. Each layer of paint is allowed to dry under the warm African sun. For an antique or textured look the sadza is cracked to allow paint to seep in. The completed fabric is washed to remove all traces of sadza, a process which is repeated until there is minimal colour bleeding. Again, the fabric hung on clotheslines to dry. To set the final design, the fabric is wrapped in foil and placed in an oven to bake for 15 minutes. As one can imagine, this time consuming process is even more difficult when the weather does not cooperate.

Suitable for framing, hanging or incorporating into home furnishings such as duvet covers or pillow cases.