Afghanistan Embroidered squares
The embroidery of the Hazara women The ethnic group of Hazara is a Mongolian descendant and the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. They belong to the Shiite minority in Afghanistan and are usually slaves to the other ethnic groups, especially the Pashtunes, often abused as scapegoats for anything and everything. They have often been victims of massacres and after decades of banishment and wandering, they have finally settled in the so-called Hazarajat in central Afghanistan. Many of the population also live scattered throughout the rest of Afghanistan, in Pakistan and in the Iran. Close to Herat in western Afghanistan, former fugitives who have returned from the Iran have founded the new community of Shahrak, together with the Hazara who remained in Afghanistan during the war. The little town Shahrak can be seen as a kind of ghetto as nearly the entire population is Hazara. The DAI have been supporting a women´s community centre there for several years. Here, courses in alphabetization, English, sewing and tailoring and even in drawing and karate are offered. The Hazara women are known to be excellent embroiderers within the traditional Afghan textile skills, as they master a great variety of embroidery techniques. It was important to me to enrich this geographical area in which the DAI is very active, with an embroidery project, and also to resurrect other embroidery techniques. The first attempts developed in written form and the first results, though meager showed a great deal of promise. In the summer of 2009 I travelled to Herat for the first time to meet the women from Shahrak. We discovered that only those women, who had not left the country during the war, were really proficient in the traditional embroidery craft. Others, who had found asylum in the Iran, completely refused the old technique or had completely forgotten it. Although the Hazara women are considered to be more independent than others in Afghanistan, I met very shy women (I did not even dare to ask for a photograph when I left) and it was only due to the indispensable intercession of Mrs. Aquila Nazari, the Directress of the women´s centre possible, to persuade 5 women to relearn this old embroidery technique.
We met three times to build up mutual trust and to decide on the technical conditions for the new project. We discussed and decided on the prices that should be set for two different types of embroidery, Keshide (which is a colorful needlework similar to the Venetian Tapisserie) and Kandaharidusi (of the Tshadris, the complete veiling which is all in white). The embroidery should be made solely with silk yarn, sponsored by the “Madeira Yarn� company. As the women lost most of their belongings during the hardships of the war, they have nearly no traditional patterns, so I sent them a collection of photographs of these patterns after my return to Freiburg. The first delivery from Shahrak arrived in Freiburg in the late spring of 2010. In the end, 17 women actually participated in the project. The appraisal of the embroidery work showed us that some of the women had kept strictly to the sent patterns, whereby others had skillfully managed to combine them. Some pieces of work could even be described as very successful improvisations. Many thanks to Rateb Assimi from Heart for his very friendly assistance and his open house! Pascale Goldenberg
Pascale Goldenberg June 2009 Goldenberg-freiburg@t-online.de Administrator of the Embroidery Project of the DAI in Laghmani, Afghanistan www.deutsch-afghanische-initiative.de
The embroidery itself The embroidery is carried out chiefly with cotton embroidery floss, so-called “mouline”. A little viscose floss is used, which lends the embroidery some lustre. Until spring 2008, silk was also used occasionally. In the future this silk floss will be used for a newly established embroidery project, which should be in operation by the end of this year. All the embroidery floss is donated by Madeira Garne in Freiburg. I would like to take the opportunity to thank this company, which also bears the costs for the flyer and for packaging the squares for sale. All materials are “grand teint”: i.e., they are machine washable. Theoretically the embroiderers are supposed to deliver clean embroidered cloths. This works about 90% of the time. I have no interest in washing the cloths (I never did have any interest in this!), and I very seldom do so. In the last delivery in May I washed only 14 cloths. If you buy a whole cloth, then I recommend securing the edges with a zig-zag stitch and washing it in the washing machine. Always iron the embroidery on the reverse side! The cloths are thoroughly ironed in Freiburg, before they are cut. The individual squares are not ironed further. You can block the square into shape by steam-ironing it on the reverse side while pulling it a little into shape. These days nearly all the squares can easily be blocked, a sign that the embroiderers have made progress. How can you buy the embroidery? Most of the embroidery comes in the form of squares measuring roughly 9 x 9 cm. It is sold in the following forms: 1. Whole cloths. Some cloths are kept whole, when they show a consistent style. Not only were these cloths stitched by a single embroiderer, but they demonstrate such a unity of technique and colour scheme that it would be a pity to sell the squares individually.
2. Whole cloths by girls. Also available are whole cloths stitched by young girls (10 – 12 years old), selected on the same principle. These cloths have only 10 squares, as the girls are not permitted to stitch more. Their embroidery must not hinder them from attending school. In the online gallery these cloths are found under the heading “young girl”. They are less expensive, as the embroidery is less skilled, and they are well suited for use in school projects. Documentation is available upon request. 3. Small series of squares. Some cloths are cut into smaller series of 2 - 4 squares. These series fit on a DIN A4 sheet and are also scanned and offered online. Look under the heading “little series” in the online gallery, and give the file reference (i.e. Fatuba €18) when ordering. If several series are listed by Fatuba for €18, they will be designated as Fatuba €18A, Fatuba €18B, etc. Always cite the entire file reference to avoid confusion. 4. Single squares. Due to time constraints, single squares are NOT scanned for sale online. However, you or your group may order a larger number of squares (a 2-kg package, for instance, contains about 200 squares), in order to make a selection. The remaining squares are to be returned to me immediately. The entire shipping costs are at your expense. picasagalerie: http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsgoldi/ProjetAfghanistanStickereiEm broideryBroderie?authkey=BqpOPdNxxtU# After every delivery from Laghmani the online gallery is re-stocked. Gradually it empties, as the squares usually sell out between deliveries. If you check the gallery every three months, then you will always find new selections. How to place an order. • Give the complete file reference for the desired embroidery. • Let us know if you would also like DAI flyers. I always enclose one flyer per shipment, but if you need more for group orders, please give an exact number. In addition, you may order the following:
o A series of 11 postcards with 11 different flower motifs (photos of embroidered squares). Price: €5 / packet. o A series of 4 postcards with 4 different star motifs (photos of embroidered squares). Price: €2 / packet. o The book to the project, 120 pages 16 x 16 cm, German + English, with more than 330 photos for 20€ What does a square cost? At the beginning of 2008 the price per square was raised, as we were unexpectedly burdened with value-added tax. We were also forced to pay back taxes for 2007, which was most distressing! Now the tax office deducts a lump sum directly from the sale of every square. This is a result of our success: our turnover is now far over the tax-free limit for charitable organizations. One square costs €6 on average, though the price range is broader than it used to be, ranging from €4.50 for squares by young girls to €7 for especially large and beautifully stitched squares. Over and above this, certain squares are fundamentally more expensive. This category includes squares with certain motifs, for example portrayals of people, which are extremely rare: about 12 instances in 4000 squares. Squares from particular embroiderers also command higher prices. At present Turpikai from Kala-i-kona and Simin from Kakara are delivering such exceptional work that it cannot be compared with that of the others. In the last delivery, their squares were priced at 10€ each. The embroiderers receive about half of the price you pay – exceptionally good wages for the local circumstances. This is possible only because all project participants in Freiburg work as unpaid volunteers and the Madeira Company donates embroidery floss and material. The second half of your price is used to remunerate the local Afghan project administrators and to finance further projects such as the literacy program, the child sponsoring program and other DAI womenʼs projects. A financial cushion provided by the sponsors serves to pay shipping costs. So take advantage of this excellent offer!
How do you pay? The squares are to be paid for after you receive them, because you must add the postage costs to the total bill. You are requested to pay immediately after receiving the squares. For customers living in Germany, a bank transfer form is included in the shipment so you can pay directly into the DAI account. Reference: “Stickproj. Ankauf”: (embroidery project purchase). Customers living in Switzerland receive a Swiss bank transfer form with their shipment. The DAI doesnʼt actually have its own account in Switzerland; however, the money is regularly transferred from the Swiss account into the DAI German account. Reference: “Stickproj. DAI”: (embroidery project DAI). Customers who can pay from a French account may make out a French cheque to my name, as my Post current account has been used only for the Project for several years now. Every few months the money in this account is transferred to the DAI through an international bank transfer. Customers who live elsewhere in Europe must pay with BIC and IBAN. Fortunately, the EU banks have simplified this process since the beginning of 2008, and it is practically free of charge. Nevertheless, please check the conditions imposed by your own bank. The EU bank transfer must not cost the DAI anything. DAI e.V: Volksbank Freiburg IBAN DE 44 6809 0000 0016 6584 05 BIC GENODE 61 FR 1 Reference: “EU-Stickproj. Ankauf”: (EU embroidery project purchase) Customers who live outside Europe must make enquiries about a low-cost method of payment. Payment via BIC and IBAN is also possible from outside Europe, but you must check the fees that may be imposed, to be sure that you have covered them all on your end. No charges may be imposed on the DAI. Please advise me what method of payment you are using. In special cases, money (only bills) may be wrapped in aluminum foil and mailed in an envelope. No discounts can be offered, due to the basic consideration that the DAI is a charitable project run on a volunteer basis.
In Conclusion The embroidered squares should provide pleasure and inspiration. If you are disappointed, then send them back to exchange for other squares! In the name of the DAI e.V. I would like to thank you for your support of the Embroidery Project, and I hope you enjoy working with the embroidery.