Salema

Saleha Akter Urmi; [Facilitator]

Domestic animals at our home (embroidery)

Fultola (embroidery)

Embroidery (EMB)

Decorative

Salema had many goru (cows) of different breeds. She sold cow’s milk at the market. She also sold cows at the market at the time of Eid. She always felt sad when she had to sell her cows because she had raised them. When the Myanmar military started firing on her family’s house, their cows scattered in different directions.

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.