I had an incomplete wash drawing that I’d set aside for nearly two weeks while focusing on other projects. Last week, I returned to it with the intention of completing the piece, this time using a high-end charcoal I’d never worked with before.

As I progressed, I reached a point of uncertainty. Then the word Ledima came to me — a Sepedi term my maternal grandmother once taught me. Ledima refers to heavy clouds that block out the sunlight and cast the ground into darkness. In our culture, it is often associated with powerful rainfall, strong winds, and, in some beliefs, a mythical figure.

What struck me most was how the drawing process seemed to align with the external environment. As I made each mark on the paper, the sky outside thickened with clouds. Rain poured, wind howled, and the streets began to flood — as if the artwork and the world were in conversation.

I am pleased to present my latest work, Ledima.

— Frans Thoka