All the information gleaned from the sub-questions help in contributing to the answering of the key question which is how can the Keiskamma Art Project, its processes and art, be understood in relation to a contextual ecofeminist spirituality?
A contextual ecofeminist spirituality is a spirituality birthed through the everyday life experience of women. It is characterized by hope, not just for women but the environment too. It inspires protest and promotes just relations. It recognizes other sources of knowledge such as feeling and intuition, draws on indigenous religious practices, is open to change and promotes the affirmation of life in all its diversity and multiplicity.
The theoretical framework of the research provides an interpretative tool for analysis. The theory supports the idea that Beauty is a source of power that motivates transformation and justice and is visible in the art of the Keiskamma Art Project. A spirituality emerging through the art processes is visible in the life of its members and in the art of the Keiskamma Altarpiece and the use of the theory demonstrates that spirituality is the key to the experience of self-transcendence and personal development. I argue that the Keiskamma Art Project operates as a conduit of the spirit which challenges relations between men and women and supports the selection of images of local women as a source of inspiration instead of traditional saints. The work of the Keiskamma Art Project supports change and transformation in culture,
118 offers a form of protest and resistance through its art and provides women with a safe social location to explore and express their ideas.
The Keiskamma Art Project was initiated as a way to assist women so as to empower them economically but the Project has challenged women and the community in other ways too. I argue that the Keiskamma Art Project, its processes, such as the space it provided for dialogue, art making and educational discussions, and its art, such as the Keiskamma Altarpiece and other artworks have and are transforming many lives especially those of the women of Hamburg and the surrounding villages.
Another factor influencing the lives of the women was the economic power that came with the success of the project and brought with it a sense of personal power. Art Project members were able to better support their families including extended family like aunts and uncles.145 Project Manager 2 described this increased economic situation through a description of the number of new bicycles seen within the community.146 This empowerment dispelled the sense of hopelessness that many women had become resigned to and motivated particular women in unhappy marital circumstances to change them by leaving their husbands which in turn fed their growing feminist consciousness. Economic empowerment dispelled the community’s despair offering the hope of a new beginning.147 .
Through the forum of the Art Project, a wide range of educational topics and ideas were introduced such as environmental awareness, health care, child care, gender empowerment, skills training, sustainable gardening, environmental education and bird identification training. This has contributed to a new interest and admiration for the natural environment with an increased knowledge in the ability to identify birds and other animals. A number of the senior members of the project now take it upon themselves to pick up litter and generally police the environment. They are proud of the fact that they are no longer poaching perlemoen and understand that the possibility of a sustainable livelihood lies in their ability to maintain the pristine beauty of their area. In this way, the educational topics and ideas have contributed to the process and emergence of an ecofeminist spirituality by challenging narrow understandings of the world and opening up concepts of the acceptance of diversity and multiplicity within the world.
The Art Project has contributed to the building of relationships which promote love, mercy and justice by challenging destructive behaviours. Examples of this are evident through the shift in attitudes toward HIV/ AIDS stigmatization where previously people did not want to be approached about their status but
145 Embroiderer 1, Hamburg, 25/03/2008.
146 Project Manager 1, Hamburg, 20/08/2008.
147 Embroiderer 1, Hamburg, 25/03/2008.
119 through the work on the Keiskamma Altarpiece many of their misguided fears and ideas were challenged.148 Petty jealousy which arose out of poverty appears to have been dispelled with an increased level of sharing and support among the women. New relationships between men and women have emerged allowing women to lead and be admired. The empowerment of black rural women, who are regarded as South Africa’s most vulnerable in society, demonstrate that a measure of justice has been restored to the Hamburg region. This has impacted on the relationships between people within the community where some of these relationships have been strengthened and others have not survived the transformation of these women’s lives. Some women felt that their husbands were not happy to see their wives emerge as individuals and begrudged them their success. They preferred their wives’ vulnerability giving them increased security and confidence. These relationships were imbalanced and fed off the helplessness and unhappiness of their wives, rendering them abusive and needing to be challenged. In this way the project has brought about a number of challenges to relationships which have promoted justice if not peace.
The value attached to women being able to talk firstly to one another and then to people outside the community is evident through the Project allowing women the chance to articulate the changes in their lives and create meaning out of their experiences. This process consolidates the change and assists in personal development. Narrative was encouraged as a process of the Keiskamma Art Project contributing to the expression of an ecofeminist spirituality.
The model of management used in the development of the Keiskamma Art Project supports a process towards the emergence of an ecofeminist spirituality. Dr Carol Hofmeyer was a key factor in the development of the Keiskamma Art Project as she offered a role model of an educated and independent woman who showed initiative and creativity and the embroiderers and designers all mention her in their interviews. Her capacity for genuine friendship created a welcome space for her leadership and ideas.
Although the project relied on a collaborative approach from the women, it was gently steered by Hofmeyer who introduced many new ideas that contributed to the development of a feminist consciousness. The Writer/Manager of the Keiskamma Art Project described the model of management adopted by Hofmeyer and proposed that it had been run in a holistic way as Hofmeyer pays attention to the people around her and listens to their stories. The Writer/Manager explains that she has been inspirational in promoting the development of others and says that the development of the Art Project was done in a sensitive way.149 This collaborative approach to the management of the Project which listens to
148 Art Project Manager, Hamburg, 25/03/2008.
149 Writer/Manager, Hamburg, 21/08/2008.
120 and desires to include others, values the input and opinions of the others offers a model of engagement which supports an ecofeminist spirituality.
Having explained how the Keiskamma Art Project, its processes and art, can be understood in relation to a contextual ecofeminist spirituality, a question arises as to its sustainability and long term prospects. I can’t answer this as it depends on so many factors such as economic markets, the drive of the women behind the project and the rootedness of creative expression. Will the changes to the lives of the women and their community last? I think that for some members of the Project the changes touched them deeply and changed who they are and as a result its influence will last on beyond the Project not being limited by the Project. For others the influences and change brought about through the Project were negligible and may fall away in regards to their lives which I suspect is especially so for the older less educated women.
I do think though that a core group of women remain in the Project and they influence others especially the young women of their community by providing role models for them. This was apparent to me when I returned to the Project in 2011 and witnessed a few young women employed in the shop and as marketers.
I think that the influence of a contextual ecofeminst spirituality will live on in the lives of the young women who find the Keiskamma Art Project a sanctuary of hope.