The Guardians of Seed, Land, and Life exhibition, held at the historic Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town from 8 to 16 November 2024, was a powerful showcase of women’s vital role in food sovereignty, seed preservation, and sustainable farming practices.
The exhibition was launched by the Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) and the Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA), two organisations dedicated to empowering rural communities and promoting indigenous agro-ecological practices.
Their collaboration highlights the importance of women’s leadership in defending land and seed rights, challenging corporate control over agriculture, and ensuring the legacy of traditional farming practices is passed on to future generations.
[ABOVE] RWA Member and Exhibition Guest in conversation at Krotoa Chapel where the exhibition was hosted – Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town.
The TCOE, which has long focused on community outreach, education, and social justice, and the RWA, which advocates for the rights of rural women across South Africa, have together created a platform for these women to share their stories and struggles. The exhibition also celebrated the significance of seed-saving as both a cultural and political act, with women farmers, artists, and activists coming together to emphasise food sovereignty, indigenous seed preservation, and the urgent need for intergenerational knowledge-sharing.
[ABOVE] Reinette Heunis, Emily Tjale and Aunty “Ding” at an outdoor discussion with guests at the opening of ‘The Guardians of Seed, Land and Life’ exhibition – Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town.
Emily Tjale (Limpopo Province Seed Saver & Agroecologist) reflects on the deep connection between her family’s health-conscious farming tradition and her own commitment to seed preservation: “How do you at this age manage to be so strong?Because I inherited from my Mum’s genes. My Mum died at 101. Still going walking strong at 100 years and going into the garden and picking up Morogo. Never had all these chemicals, never had all these fried foods. So I took from her as a farmer to be diet conscious. Harvest it, the seed but don’t eat it.”
Emily continues to follow her mother’s path of sustainability by protecting and multiplying the seeds passed down through her family: “In my bag I travel with seeds that I harvested. That I multiply. In my bag I travel with seeds that I harvested. That I multiply. From the seeds my Mum gave me. From the seeds that my granny gave my Mum, from the seeds that I got from my in-laws, the grannies. I’m still protecting that seed. I’m still multiplying that seed. It must not fade away.”
She also highlights the national and global significance of the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)’s efforts, particularly in the fight against Monsanto/Bayer and the State. Being a founding member of the The Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) has strengthened how seed-saving is not just about farming—it’s about ensuring that these precious seeds are passed down:
“This is a victory to RWA. Because we are working with other sisters at ACB fighting Monsanto and we succeeded. Internationally. We are more than 900 seed savers in the Rural Women’s Assembly. The journey that we travelled was very hard, it wasn’t easy.”
[ABOVE] Reinette Heunis and Emily Tjale smile but also acknowledge the immense work put into the seed auditing research prior to all ‘The Guardians of Seed, Land and Life’ exhibitions hosted across the African continent and world.
Reinette Heunis from (Suurbraak Aquaponics) in the Western Cape region speaks emotionally about the exhibition eventually coming to the Western Cape and about how the movement has shaped her beliefs about seed sovereignty and land access.
She says: “It brought tears to my eyes. To be here, to bring it to the Western Cape. I was one of the enumerators. At RWA, here I find home. I accept the journey with everyone. We walked the path with everyone. Our forefathers and foremothers were giving us seeds and we didn’t recognise why but today we can see why we were getting seeds.”
Reinette also stresses the importance of women taking control of their seeds, intergenerational communication and warns against the government’s promotion of non-indigenous varieties:
“We were doing a workshop with younger sisters. Don’t let the government tell you that you can use any seeds. You need to use indigenous and traditional. You need to save your own seeds. They want to kill us. It was hard work.”
She advocates for the #OneWomanOneHectare campaign, which calls for women’s access to land to empower them in food production:
“We need land, we are driving the #One Woman One Hectare campaign so that we women can plant and become sustainable. We need to make sure that this is staying into our families.”
[ABOVE] Elsie Sauls speaks about indigenous seed saving at ‘The Guardians of Seed, Land and Life’ exhibition discussion with guests.
Elsie Sauls (Seed Saver & Agroecologist) – Ashton – Western Cape
Elsie Sauls from Ashton in the Western Cape states that seed saving is a vital practice for safeguarding food security.“I’ve been saving seeds since 2012.” She focuses on preserving hybrid seeds, which she believes are crucial for long-term food security:“Hybrid seeds can be stored for longer periods, which makes them crucial for future generations.” Elsie has created her own seed bank to ensure that these seeds are protected.
[ABOVE] An indigenous seed array set up by Samantha Lee-Ann Philips from Genadendal in the Western Cape
Samantha Lee-Ann Philips – (Genadendal Seed Saver & Agroecologist)
Samantha, a seed saver and sharer of Genadendal in the Western Cape, is dedicated to preserving the diversity of local seeds.
She shares:“ I’m a seed saver, a seed sharer and a seed carer” These are seeds that I’ve gotten from the neighbourhood gardens, some of this is to save seed and to multiply it. To show the diversity of seeds here in the Western Cape.
Her commitment to seed-sharing extends beyond her local community, as she works to distribute seeds internationally: “To share it among other countries who don’t have these seeds. Other women here who are also in need of seeds.”
Samantha’s words highlight the power of community-driven initiatives to support global food sovereignty movements.
[ABOVE] Anela Jahmena is a reggae music vocalist who was one amongst several artists who performed – Castle of Good Hope Courtyard area.
Anela Jahmena (Vocalist & Performance Artist)
Anela draws a powerful parallel between the nurturing of seeds and people, especially children, emphasising the care that both need to thrive.
She reflects:“Just as children need water to grow, seeds need care to thrive.”
Anela invites others to recognise the achievements of Black women in the food sovereignty movement, both as caretakers of the land and as nurturers of future generations: “Black women are not just planting seeds; we are nurturing future generations.”
[ABOVE] Vanessa Ludwig – Program Manager Africa Gender Unit – UCT in conversation with Healer, Indigenous Medicine Practitioner and Performance Artist, Ernestine Dean who performed at the event.
Vanessa Ludwig (Program Manager, Africa Gender Unit – UCT)
Vanessa has been an advocate for women’s land access and food sovereignty for over 20 years, and she highlights the importance of seed-saving in the broader movement for food justice.
“I’m very much a seed saver. I have been involved in struggles of women’s access to land for over 20 years.”
She mentions that: “Food sovereignty is a core issue for us, and seeds are foundational to this movement.” She stresses that access to land is vital for women to control their food systems: “Without land, women cannot control their food systems.”
Vanessa’s work continues to focus on securing land, soul and water rights for women, as she believes it is essential for them to be able to feed their communities sustainably.
Through the voices of these and many other women who were present, the exhibition illustrated the profound impact of their work in securing a just, sustainable, and equitable food system.
Their words resonate with the broader mission of the TCOE and RWA to protect indigenous farming practices, advocate for women’s land rights, and fight against the corporate forces that threaten food sovereignty. Guardians of Seed, Land, and Life was a reminder of the importance of land and seeds in the lives of rural and all women, and the critical need for these women to have the power to decide how their land and resources are used.