untitled
viviti
My bonsai-en

Home Articles & Advice Species Guide Projects Galleries Cool Links E-Mail Me

THE MANDELA "SIBAMBENE" BONSAI FOREST

BY ERROL RUBIN

In 1999 I was advised that Mr. Mandela had been given a beautiful bonsai forest called the Sibambene Bonsai Forest. The main tree in the forest is a wild Olive tree that is more than 100 years old. I was also advised that Madiba did not have the expertise or time to look after the bonsai and there was a real risk that this creation would die if not properly cared for.

I immediately volunteered to become the custodian of the forest as I felt it important to have such a legacy protected for future generations.

The forest was designed and planted by Mr. Bill Bulgen from Cape Town and was commissioned by Nedbank. It represents a typically spacious South African landscape with a dry watercourse running between the major tree and the rest of the forest.

Sibambene is a Zulu word meaning "To Hold Together" and it is an appropriate name for this forest because the old Wild Olive represents Madiba holding the rainbow nation (the Acacia's) together.

The forest with its mixture of Acacia and Olive is unusual because normally bonsai artists do not mix species, however in this case the species were mixed to represent the diversity of the South African people.

Picture No. I. below shows the original design drawing of the forest:-

Drawing
Picture 1

The major 100-year-old wild Olive tree (Olea europa var africana) is placed majestically in the middle of the forest with a smaller olive as a focal point off to the side. On both sides of the major olive are Acacia forming the lower grouping of trees underneath the major tree. The Acacia's were a mixture Knob Thorn (Acacia nigrescens) and Sweet Thorn (Acacia Karoo) and were designed to form a lower canopy.

The forest was displayed for the first time in September 1999 at the South African Bonsai Association convention hosted by the Eastern Bonsai Society.

Annually the forest is displayed at the Eastern bonsai society show, which is held in October every year. The forest was photographed at the 2002 International Bonsai convention held in Pretoria.

Current status: The forest is very healthy and both olives are thriving but due to olives being slow growers they do not put on a lot of growth. I fertilise regularly using bonsai cakes I make myself. The mix of knob thorn and sweet thorn on the other hand has not worked. The knob thorn could not survive the cold of the highveld and have subsequently died while the sweet thorn have thrived and continuously outgrow the major olive and have to be cut back heavily. I have decided not to replace the knob thorn trees as the sweet thorns dominate the canopy.

This year I have allowed the acacia to grow wild to re-establish a good root base and will cut them back heavily in spring when the buds start swelling in preparation for our bonsai show in October. The forest has not yet needed to be repotted.

Sibambene
Picture 2: Photographed at the 2004 EBS show.

Taken from Treeview, Vol. 27, No.2, April 2005, pp22,23.

Last updated 21.10.2005
Web Hosting · Blog · Guestbooks · Message Forums · Mailing Lists
Easiest Website Builder ever! · Build your own toolbar · Free Talking Character · Email Marketing
powered by a free webtools company bravenet.com