From the northern reaches of Morocco to the southern tip of South Africa, and from the eastern coast of Kenya to the western shores of Senegal, beads have played a central role in the lives of many African communities. Each region boasts of its own distinct beadwork traditions, characterized by a unique combination of materials, colors, and designs.

South Africa’s Reed Dance Festival is an ancient tradition of the Swazi and Zulu people known as the Umkhosi womhlanga, or the Zulu Reed Dance.