In this sculpture, the name Saba acts as a bridge between nature and culture, between root and gaze.
Saba, in the botanical world, is the vital fluid that flows through trees, carrying nutrients and energy, sustaining the life, strength and resilience of every branch and every leaf.
At the same time, Saba evokes the legendary Queen of Sheba, a powerful and enigmatic figure who, according to tradition, reigned with wisdom, wealth and autonomy. Inspired by a contemporary Afrofeminist reading, the Queen of Sheba symbolises redemptive matriarchy: a feminine leadership rooted in justice, equity and compassion, capable of transforming, welcoming and restoring balance (Juma, 2025).
With Saba, two apparently distant but deeply connected notions converge: the sap that nourishes the tree and the Queen who sustains the people. Both are metaphors for an essential energy — Black, vibrant and universal.

Juma, D.C., 2025, ‘The Queen of Shebaand daughters of Africa: Reimaginingredemptive matriarchy in 2 Chronicles’, HTS Teologiese Studies/TheologicalStudies 81(1), a10427.
https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v81i1.10427