Embroidered tales and craftivism
October 6, 2023 2:54 AM Subscribe
“They embroider what they would not or cannot put into words,” says French artist and activist Pascal Goldenberg of the Afghan women using craft to tell their story. Women such as Feroza, whose latest embroideries show a member of the Taliban beating a woman because her tshadri (face veil) is too short, and a mother selling her daughter so that she can afford to feed her other children. While Bechta’s calligraphic embroidery begins with ‘Afghanistan is a very dangerous land for women.’ From Service95, Embroidered Tales: The Women Voicing Resistance Through Craftivism by Simon Coates.
Goldenberg her started non-profit organisation Guldu`si in 2001 to help Afghan women like Feroza and Bechta to sell their embroidery to generate an income. “It’s about belonging to the world community,” she explains. Their work is sold via the Guldusi website, where the women are referenced by their first names only to preserve their anonymity in case of reprisals from the Taliban regime.
...Embroidery has provided women with an outlet for frustration, anger, and activist ideals for centuries. The Indian art of kantha – whereby embroiderers conveyed their fears by stitching protective symbols – dates back prior to 1500 BC. Then there’s the ancient Central Asian tradition of Suzani embroidery – colourful pieces typically crafted by women to contain messages of hope and protection. The recent exhibition Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery at Kettle’s Yard Gallery in Cambridge, UK, explored the historical and contemporary significance of embroidery in Palestine, where women have been using the craft to voice resistance for hundreds of years. And story cloths made by the Hmong women of East and Southeast Asia narrate atrocities from the Vietnam War that raged from 1955 until 1975.
Goldenberg her started non-profit organisation Guldu`si in 2001 to help Afghan women like Feroza and Bechta to sell their embroidery to generate an income. “It’s about belonging to the world community,” she explains. Their work is sold via the Guldusi website, where the women are referenced by their first names only to preserve their anonymity in case of reprisals from the Taliban regime.
...Embroidery has provided women with an outlet for frustration, anger, and activist ideals for centuries. The Indian art of kantha – whereby embroiderers conveyed their fears by stitching protective symbols – dates back prior to 1500 BC. Then there’s the ancient Central Asian tradition of Suzani embroidery – colourful pieces typically crafted by women to contain messages of hope and protection. The recent exhibition Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery at Kettle’s Yard Gallery in Cambridge, UK, explored the historical and contemporary significance of embroidery in Palestine, where women have been using the craft to voice resistance for hundreds of years. And story cloths made by the Hmong women of East and Southeast Asia narrate atrocities from the Vietnam War that raged from 1955 until 1975.
Afghan War Rugs database by Kevin Sudeith.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:37 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 8:37 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Thanks for sharing this. I was also unaware of Dua Lipa's founding of Service95. Great to see someone making such a difference in the world (in more than one way!).
posted by rpfields at 9:36 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rpfields at 9:36 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
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