The South African town Hamburg is situated by one of the most beautiful estuaries (河口) in the Eastern Cape. It's known for its rich Xhosa culture. It is also home to a group of women who have produced a series of extraordinary artworks that have been exhibited around the world.
KeiskammaArt Project was created to teach local women embroidery (刺绣) skills to help them at a tough time economically and socially, but unexpectedly it has grown into something much bigger. Having been shown at international art galleries, many of their tapestries (挂毯) are now being displayed under one roof for the first time, at an exhibition in Johannesburg.
Their story began in 2000, when Dr. Carol Hofmeyrmoved from Johannesburg to Hamburg. She found that the town was struggling with high unemployment and that local women were desperate to find ways to feed their families. Having studied embroidery herself, she hoped that passing on that knowledge to local women would help empower them.
From humble beginnings more and more women heard about the project through word of mouth. Now, over 150 women are part of the project. Selling their works provides a source of income, but the project has also created a support system for the women.
Initially, the women started out simply creating cushions (坐垫) and small handbags to sell to tourists. Eventually, they started receiving tasks for larger pieces. They were given panels about a meter in size to work on at home. By joining the completed panels together, they created the first of their large works and one of their most celebrated, "The KeiskammaTapestry", which tells the history of the Xhosa people who were subjugated (征服) through colonization and the Xhosa British Frontier Wars from 1776 to 1876.
Another celebrated piece is "The KeiskammaAltarpiece", which was produced by 130 women. The four-meter-high, four-meter-wide piece reveals the struggles that elderly Xhosa women endured when the youth in their community were hit by HIV two decades ago, and they stepped in to care for children.
Recent artworks engage with contemporary issues. "COVID Resilience Tapestry" deals with the pandemic; "A New Earth and Our Sacred Ocean" is a call for environmental consciousness.
