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EVENTS

SOUTH AFRICA’S FIRST ONLINE CALLIGRAPHY EXHIBITION

September 30, 2024

On September 30, 2024, Deen Arts Foundation South Africa (DAFSA) hosted the country’s first online Islamic calligraphy exhibition. The event showcased the remarkable works of nine South Africans and two international students, who are all learning the 13th-century Andalusian Maghrebi script under the guidance of Ustaadh Badr Essahi from Morocco.

These talented students embarked on a groundbreaking journey through DAFSA’s first-ever online Maghrebi calligraphy course, launched in June 2023. Over the course of 24 weeks, they become familiar with the traditional tools and mastered the foundational aspects of writing the script in the Beginner Maghrebi course. They then advanced to a 20-week Intermediate course, where they focused on specific Quranic verses and chapters. Their journey culminated in a final project, with each student selecting a Surah from the 30th Juz of the Quran to demonstrate their dedication and skills. 

The Andalusian Maghrebi script, a distinct variation of the broader Maghrebi script, traces its origins to the Kufic script—the script in which the Quran was first written during the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This script evolved uniquely in the regions of Al-Andalus and the Maghreb, adapting to local cultural influences. Historically, the Maghrebi script helped non-Arabic speaking communities better distinguish letters of the Quran. It also introduced colour-coded markings, such as orange dots for the hamza, green dots for hamza-tul-wasl, and blue ink was used for shadda and sukoon. The rest of the vowel markings like the fatgha, kasra, and domma are written in red ink.

Just as vibrant and colourful as this script, students who are learning the Maghrebi script at DAFSA hail from diverse backgrounds; ranging from university students, stay-home moms, professionals and retirees – all united by their curiosity and love for traditional Islamic arts and knowledge. Learning Islamic calligraphy online has provided them with a means to connect to their Islamic identity and heritage, fostering a greater appreciation for the efforts made to preserve the Quran in a visual form, and more importantly enriching their own relationship with the sacred text.

Maimoonah Arend, a student from Cape Town, shared her experience:  “I love being able to read the calligraphy in the masaajid and understand what’s written. Quran is not just art to be admired by the eyes anymore. When I see the beautiful writing, I can read it and understand what’s being said. And I feel the connection to Allah – Quran, in any script, is now a conversation with Him.”  

DAFSA, founded by world renowned master calligrapher Haji Noordeen Mi Guang, is honoured to be providing knowledge of the Islamic traditional arts that connects students with master calligraphy teachers, helping them to acquire the skills needed to preserve the Quran in its visual form. Equally important is the foundation of moral virtues that this learning cultivates in students, particularly in a time when such virtues are increasingly at risk.

The exhibition is available for public viewing  online on: https://deenartsfoundation.org.za/exhibition/ 

(This article was published in the Muslim Views newspaper, November 2024)