What are the challenges for the Yellow House? The relationship with the local community?
“The great thing about the Yellow House is that every year we see remarkable progress and can pat ourselves on the back for being a contributing force for this positive change. Six years ago billboards were not allowed, especially if they depicted the human figure. Now there are billboards informing women they do not have to allow themselves to be forced into unwanted marriages and that they are entitled to leave abusive relationships and where to find shelter. At the beginning video stores were being bombed down to the closure of the last one. Now we are showing our films on an electronic billboard in the centre of the city for everyone to see and if they want to hear the dialogue they can purchase from mobile ice cream vendors who sell them from their carts. Women can buy them from over the back fence when purchasing sweets for their children. Our women’s workshops continue to grow and former students now have their own radio and TV shows or are making films for festivals. Beyond the arts we teach at the Yellow House Jalalabad is a medieval city with flourishing trades and crafts. There are pot and tile makers, marble workers, elaborate furniture makers gardeners, iron and metal workers, carpet weavers and hundreds of tailors and associated fabric workers and embroiderers. These are skills that have been lost in our industrial society and generally exported to Asia. The people in Jalalabad can both teach us how to get back to the beauty of the hand made and export their beautiful handiwork. We would like to keep Jalalabad free of being swamped with cheap Chinese made goods and protect these ancient skills. Hopefully, entrepreneurs and business people from Australia and other countries will be able to stay as guests of the Yellow House and find ways to assist the local arts and crafts to get buyers around the world.� Issue 20 - May 2017
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