Lala

Saleha Akter Urmi; [Facilitator]

Domestic animals at our home (embroidery)

Fultola (embroidery)

Embroidery (EMB)

Decorative

Lala Begum’s father bought one goat, and their family started to raise their own herd. Eventually, they had around 20 goats. Lala took care of all the goats. The goats played in the courtyard all day long. She liked the goat kids very much. For Eid, she sold goats in the market.

When asked what new projects they wanted to work on, the artisans suggested embroidering domestic animals. In Myanmar, the women rarely left their houses and kept chickens, pigeons, cows and goats as pets. Each family had about 60-70 chickens, 30-50 cows and a separate house for pigeons, but now they are not allowed to have pets in the camp. They never had to buy meat back home, but when they go to buy meat at the camp they are reminded of the animals they left behind. This project is a way for the women to portray and document their beloved pets left behind in Myanmar, so that the future generation can see them.