WHO AM I

 WHO I AM...


A MUSLIM
A WOMEN
A FASHION STUDENT
AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN....

Final Piece

The front view:

The front of the dress is covered with the prayer mat. This symbolizes the importance of my religion in my life. It also conveys the message that i am a proud muslim and Islam has a great influence on who i am.   

The back view:

The back view of this dress is kept as the original dress. It is short and reveals my legs. This is symbolic to my imperfections as a muslim. It also says that i am my own person aside from my religion, tradition and culture. To the world i might appear as a perfect muslim woman but i have my flaws and uniqueness.

My Hijab

Hijab is an Arabic term that describes the way in which some women wear their scarf. In this picture i am seen putting on my hijab. Wearing a hijab is one of the many things about myself that i am proud of. As a muslim woman it required of me to cover my hair. This was one law of Islam that I struggled to confide to as i consider my hair to be very beautiful and like most women i took much pride in showing off my hair. As i became older and more informed i realized the true benefits of covering my hair. The permanent covering of my hair allowed me to value the beauty in my hair and naturally in myself. Wearing a hijab allows me to understand myself by looking at how others interact with me. When i wear a hijab suddenly people respect me, suddenly they listen to me, suddenly they hear me, suddenly the opposite sex lower their gaze at me. Suddenly i learnt my value as a woman.

 I hold the wearing of my hijab in high esteem and truly believe that it reflects greatly the powerful woman that i am capable of being. It is for this reason i felt the it was necessary to attach a scarf to my piece as it greatly symbolizes who i am. 

Sewing up my garment...

Sewing the Mu'sal'lah as a skirt onto my dress.

Cutting the sleeves of my dress...

I cut the sleeves of the dress so that more of my arm could be revealed. The nudity of my arm would be considered a crime in Islam as women of puberty are commanded to cover from the head to toe only exposing the face and hands. The revealing of my arms does not mean that i condemn the laws of Islam as i do respect and understand that it has been implemented for my own benefit and conceals and protects my modesty. By exposing my arms i am conveying the message that even though i try to be a perfect muslim i acknowledge that i am not.

My first dress ;)

This is the first dress iv ever designed and made on my own. This particular dress has great sentimental value and explains more about who i am then what can be seen by the eye. I am very proud of this piece as it was the first time i felt like i could be a successful fashion designer after i had made it. I made this dress when i was 16 years old. I had no idea that i was capable of constructing something so beautiful at the time. This garment truly motivated me to follow the career path i am in today. On the day i came for my interview to study fashion design i wore it feeling very confident and proud. months later i was accepted into my first year of fashion design.
This dress is a great part of who i am and i have therefore decided to use this piece as a base for my garment which will convey who i am.

This carpet is called a "mu'sal'lah". It is used 5 times a day by muslim people to perform prayer('Sallah') on. This particular mu'sal'lah is all the way from the sacred city of Mecca. It was given to me by my grand mother after she had performed pilgrimage. This particular prayer mat plays a big role in my life as i perform my daily prayer on it 5 times a day, every day. 

I have decided to use this fabric item in my garment piece as it has great significance as to who i am.

WHO AM I?

Who I am is greatly influenced by where i come from. Where I come from helps mold who i am but does not entirely define me, Saadiqah Jacobs.

After tracing my heritage I discovered a lot about myself and this also gave great meaning to the way in which iv been raised and why certain things are a norm in my life. I've discovered that the cultures and traditions in my life is strongly influenced by my religion and beliefs which is Islam. Other major factors influencing who i am are my goals especially concerning my career and my personal view on things.

However, even thought i come from a reach Malay, Islamic back ground it does not entirely define who i am. I am a proud muslim woman like my mothers before me but there is a lot more to me then where i come from and my religion. Even though i strive to be the perfect 21 year old muslim women i know that i am not. I am also a fashion design student and strive to be a headstrong, successful, independent career woman. Even though it is a norm for women to be liberated and career orientated in today's society it is seen as something different and modern in my life as am only the 2nd generation of  tertiary educated women in my family.

During this self discovery i will attempt to construct a garment that would best convey who i am. By researching everything that affects me and molds who i am by looking at where i come from and all other aspects of my life.  

Campus buddies enjoying the free home-cooked lunch...

Eating away at my assignment....The Akni...

Where do i come from???

Tracing my heritage through four generations of women.

ME - MY MOTHER - MY GRAND MOTHER -MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER

4 Generations of Women. One Dish.

Tracing my heritage through 4 generations of women.

me - mother - grandmother - great grandmother

my very own Akni dish....Yip, made it myself!

layered to perfection...

this is where i come from....

Tracing back 3 generations of women in my heritage I have discovered a lot about who I am and where I come from. The things I have discovered about my heritage is best conveyed through a famous Cape Malay dish known as, Akni. This is due to the fact that Cape Malay culture and tradition can be dated very far back in my heritage. The Grandparents  of my great grandmother were slaves who were brought to the Cape from Java. For as long as I can remember this rice dish has been a common serving at almost every special event within my family. When these slaves were introduced to the Cape so were their languages, culture, tradition, etc. This gave rise to the invention of  many Cape Malay foods which can still be found in our family today. One of these dishes being Akni. Which is a rice based meal mixed with a richly spiced filling. Either meat, chicken or fish. This dish was taught to me by my mother which was taught by her mother and the chain continues for  many earlier generations of women in my heritage. So not only is this dish rich in taste but more importantly it is filled with my historical Cape Malay heritage explaining who I am and where I come from.

My Father, Mogammad Sidiek Jacobs (5 January 1963)

My Mother, Noeria (Galant) Jacobs (27 July 1966)

My Grandmother, Ghalima Galant. D.O.B 5 April1943

My Grandfather, Yusuf Galant. D.O.B 3 December 1933

A recent family record of my Great Grandparents that includes their dates of birth.

My Great Grandmother, Fatima Jacobs

My Great Grandfather, Abbas Ryklief

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This is an original document of a written record of the family of my great grandmother, Fatima Abbas. it states the names of her parents, siblings, husband and children. it is assumed that this document was written up during the 1930's.

Me at 5years old and My Grandmother

Me, Saadiqah Jacobs (15 September 1991)

My Grandparents, Yusuf Galant(3 December 1933) & Ghalima (Ryklief) Galant (5 April 1943)

Oldest Family tree

This is an historical family tree that traces my grandmother's heritages from the 1800's up until my grandmother herself. The tree starts with a man by the name of Philip Ryklief and his wife Sophia who later became Ayesha after embracing Islam. More information on Philip Ryclie was found in the book referenced; 

"Cape Town:

The making of a city,

an illustrated social history.

by Nigel Worden, E Van Heyningen,

Vivian Bickford-Smith

Publisher: Cape Town: David Philip, 1998".

"On page 202 of Cape Town: The making of a city, an illustrated social history (by Nigel Worden, E Van Heyningen, Vivian Bickford-Smith)
"One feature of the early Wynberg development was its multi-ethnic character. The Dutch formed a continuing presence; some residents like Tennant and Maynard were British; Eggers, Ellert and Morgenrood were German in origin; yet other were free blacks or emancipated slaves. In general the holdings of the last mentioned were less substantial but they were established family properties that remained integral to the Wynberg area for generations. When Jan Sintler of Klein Oude in Wynberg died he left the estate to his common-law wife, Rachel van die Kaap. She later married Abraham Zasman, a carter, and the deeds were registered in his name, although part had been sold. The Zasman property became a Muslim enclave in the centre of Wynberg village. In 1838 in lower Wynberg Phillip Ryklief, described in the Cape Almanac of 1830 as a free black and wagoner, bought land strategically placed on the Simon's Town road, originally part of the Rust en Werk farm. Ryklief was the son of an Englishman, probably called Ratcliffe, and Johanna Barbara , the daughter of Jan van Bougies and Samieda van die Kaap. Ryklief himself had married Sophia, whose mother was English and who was the step-daughter of an imam of the Palm Tree Mosque in Long Street, Cape Town. Such family connections may have assisted Ryklief in his purchase but he was not the only free black to buy land in the area. Others included Jan van Mauritius, Hammat, Pedro, Abdol van die Kaap, O'Deane, Sarah Adams, John Rabboula (Rabullah) and 'Frida'. listed in the 1830 Cape Almanac as a prize negro.""