7.3 Themes in support of an emerging contextual ecofeminist spirituality
7.3.2 Experience and Storytelling
101 about the environment but the Project has restored to her this great sense of wonder.79 The ceramist says that he has been inspired to think about trees differently and now he understands that it is important not to just chop them down.80 The Project Manager described how one of the embroiderers had commented on the richness of the bird life to her pointing out both a heron and a bulbul.81 Through the comments of the project members, it is apparent that there is a new interest and compassion that has been awakened for animals.
The theme of Integration and Bodiliness explores ideas and attitudes associated with relationship and the experience of relating to the other through physical and bodily encounter. The compassion that emerges in the interviews between the Project members and for the environment is a manifestation of an ecofeminist spirituality.
102 another says Embroiderer 1. The Assistant Manger talks about the Keiskamma Altarpiece where she tells how the bottom panel is of the funeral of Susan’s son. He was HIV positive and was forced to go to work in Humansdorp where it was very difficult for him as it was very cold and he lived in impoverished circumstances which affected his health. It appears that through sharing and working together on the Project, the embroiderers and artists know each other’s stories and show empathy for one another.
An ecofeminist spirituality supports the idea of being open to new ways of knowing, recognizing that there are multiple ways of assimilating knowledge and embraces the emotional and intuitive. Within this realm of knowledge is self-knowledge. The Assistant Manager talks about her experience of learning about herself, saying “I realized that I have an artistic element in my blood.” She says that feelings about herself have changed and she is glad to know that she is an artist as she feels capable of many new things.84 Embroiderer 3 shares, “I have learnt that sometimes I have to accept the consequences of our lives.”85 Embroiderer 4 says, “I didn’t know that I could do beading before the project began and others learnt that they were clever at drawing. The project has brought out our creativities.”86 Stock Controller/Embroiderer describes, “My ideas have changed and this has changed the way I see myself.
Now I feel like somebody. In the past I was suffering with poverty and was more self-centered because of my suffering but now I feel differently and am interested in the youth.”87 The Design Manager states that she feels independent and no longer dependent any more. She is now herself and not just a housekeeper.
This has affected her self-esteem and she feels respected.88
This understanding of self-knowledge also extends to the wider community. The Assistant Manager goes on to describe the community’s feelings saying that they are very positive. This is seen, for example, in new perspectives that people have learnt regarding HIV/ AIDS - that you can still live a good life with HIV /AIDS. She asserts that this new knowledge and positivity has brought change to the men who have become more flexible and open to using condoms.89
Ecofeminist spirituality promotes the idea of being open to new knowledge. It values the experiences of bodily encounter, intuition, attraction, forebodings and common sense. In the Keiskamma Altarpiece,
84 Assistant Manager, Grahamstown, 29/06/2008.
85 Embroiderer 3, Grahamstown, 29/06/2008.
86 Embroiderer 4, Hamburg, 21/07/2001.
87Stock Controller/Embroiderer, Hamburg, 20/08/2008.
88 Design Manager, Hamburg, 21/08/2008.
89 Assistant Manager, Grahamstown, 29/06/2008.
103 Gaba the prophet creates prayer patterns in the sand following his intuitive knowledge. Gaba wakes up every morning and likes to run next to the sea where he creates patterns in the sand on the beach.90 The Keiskamma artworks tell both personal and communal stories. Embroiderer 2 says, “Art can tell a story on a quilt or a hanging.”91 The Keiskamma Altarpiece is about the suffering that the community has endured in the face of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic. It tells the community’s story, but it also includes the specific stories of the women and what they have had to endure. It is a way of documenting the history of the community. The Assistant Manager describes how the figure in the centre is of a widow whose husband passed away from an HIV/AIDS related illness. The old lady in the Methodist Mothers Union outfit has now died and Susan is the old woman on the other side panel.92
An ecofeminist spirituality includes the assimilation of knowledge from indigenous culture. Indigenous cultures value storytelling and use it as a tool to pass on generational knowledge. In the Art Project stories emerge and are captured through art. The Manager of the Embroiderers says that the Art Project wants to make a bigger place for art and heritage so as to use art as a way of keeping their stories together. “This way we can have pride in our Xhosa heritage.”93 The Finance Manager says that the members of the Art Project have created artworks such as the Keiskamma Tapestry which show the history and culture of the Xhosa people including their cows. This has helped her to learn about her Xhosa history as it was explained to her and she was given books to read about it. The older members of their community were also questioned about their knowledge of the past.94 Embroiderer 6 says “I learnt about the Xhosa prophetess, the Mfengus and the AmaXhosa and lots of other history about the Xhosa people through the Project.”95 The ceramist says that people often ask him why he draws cows and he replies “They are important to my people as this is the way my father’s earned money through the selling and buying of cows. It is how they educated their children and so drawing cows is a way of valuing my history.”96
90 Assistant Manager, Grahamstown, 29/06/2008.
91 Embroiderer 2, Grahamstown, 29/06/2008.
92 Assistant Manager, Grahamstown, 29/06/2008.
93 Manager of Embroiderers, Hamburg, 25/03/2008.
94 Finance Manager, Hamburg, 20/07/2011.
95 Embroiderer 6, Hamburg, 20/07/2011.
96 Ceramist, Hamburg, 20/08/2011.
104 The theme of storytelling affirms the use of stories as a way of transmitting knowledge. The knowledge used to explore an ecofeminist spirituality needs to be birthed out of experience.