Dineo Seshee Raisibe Bopape

Ka Pheko ye (curse dissolved) is rooted in the ground - both literally and culturally. Made from Folkestone’s own materials, it combines layers of rammed chalk, coal, seaweed, plants and earth, echoing the natural layers beneath our feet.

On top stands a small house-like form, shaped like a hut, known in Southern African traditions as uMsamo - a sacred space within the home; a site of ancestral presence, reflection and spiritual offering. Bopape calls this version a spirit house - a place where earth meets sky, and where birds, people and ancestors can all find connection.

The sculpture draws on traditions from across the African continent, including the use of symbols and carvings to honour lineage, land and memory. One side is etched with a design like a genetic map - a reminder of our shared code and connection. The other bears two simple words: Curse Dissolved. This is a blessing, a quiet release from inherited pain, injustice or violence. It is a call for transformation.

Bopape’s work responds to the idea of the monument, but turns it on its head. Instead of preserving the past, she offers a chance to let it go. As she writes:

A blessing to whoever is willing to receive it.
To receive the release.
The curse does not transfer to any other being.
It transmutes, dissolves - losing form, losing grip.

Some materials break down. Others leave their mark - in the soil, in memory, in the body. Bopape’s sculpture acknowledges these traces while making space for healing. It invites us to stand still, listen deeply, and imagine a future shaped not by harm, but by care, spirit and renewal.

^{Photos by Thierry Bal}