This might look like an ordinary Coin jar or some may called it a Piggy bank. Well in this case it represents "Pula molo" during lobola negotiations.

According to Wikipedia:

In South Africa, where the custom of lobolo is widely practiced, the union was previously concluded in terms of customary law, but is now governed under the Recognition of Customary Marriages, 1998 (Act 120 of 1998)

Funny enough they made a movie: Fanie Fourie's Lobola. In the movie is a white male planning to marry a beautiful black lady and discovers the cultures behind the process. He had to pay lobola and which cost him a lot of cows.

Basically lobola is an amount paid by the family of the groom to the wife to be.

It is an intense negotiation which involves the the uncles/elders from both families.

PULA MOLO: Usually the family of the wife to be will ask for a payment before they can even open their mouth...just to start the negotiation. The payment can be in a form of money or a bottle of a brandy or whisky. Well the amount of "Pula molo" depends on different cultures even the brand of whiskey depends on the culture.

The artwork shows a slot in the lips representing money to be inserted to start the negotiations.

Getting married into a black family in South Africa involves a lot of cultures that must be adhered to and some very strict and very expensive.

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Check out:

Sculpture by Kenny Sonono: Part 1: Blessers and Polygamy in South Africa
Artwork by Kenny Sonono: Part 2: Reverse psychology to romantic relationships

Source:1

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