Symbols gift shop is currently under construction. We apologise for any inconvenience, but we are looking forward to offering you a wide selection of African hand-made curios.

Symbols welcomes you to a shopping experience that stretches from Cape Town to Cairo! Claude & Jill Kleynhans, born and raised in South Africa, both have a genuine love and appreciation for African artifacts and curios. Each item is hand-picked for quality and authenticity, so when you make a purchase, you can expect the very best.

Where possible, Symbols purchases directly from the artists, thus ensuring that both you and the artist get the best possible deal for the artifacts.


MASKS FROM ALL OVER AFRICA

In many African cultures, the use of masks and masquerades dramatize the ways in which the seasons and the natural order of life are honoured. During these vibrant rituals, masks representing various forces of nature are adorned, bringing the ritual or ceremony to life. The masks are crafted largely from wood, leafy branches and raffia fiber.

Masks evolved from the agricultural purification ritual, whereby it was believed that nature is essentially benevolent and that farming is an offense against this goodness. Despite their efforts to atone for this transgression, early agriculturists believed that on their own they could not be saved from punishment, so they created the first society of masks, whose task was to purify the earth and all those who had defiled it. With time, the masks assumed a broader role and introduced the power of the spirit world into other aspects of life, including weddings, initiation, funerals, and other community rituals.


BEAUTIFUL BEADWORK

Glass, bones, metals, amber, stones - they’re all used on this diverse continent to beautify, decorate or represent the wealth of the family.

Traditional beadwork designs are bound by custom and one can easily identify the origin of a beaded article. Tribes that are well-known for their beadwork include the Ndebele from South Africa and the Masai from Tanzania.


FIGURES FOR AFRICA!

The African people are so culture bound and believe in reciprocity between himself and the natural world: Whatever is taken must be accounted for and something must be offered in return. Various ceremonies, rites and offerings are performed using masks and figures made of wood, bronze and clay, to convey various messages to the spirit world


FANCY THIS?

Roses are red, violets are blue and diamonds are white – right? Not quite. They come in an array of rainbow colours. Mafigeni offers you the very best prices and quality on precious gems – call us for African mined Diamonds and Tanzanite.
(There is no import or export duty on loose, cut precious stones!)