Women’s History Month
Posted by: Cathy
March is Women’s History Month, a great time for us to think about Surayia, her art, and the hundreds of women who worked with her to make nakshi kantha tapestries. The National Women’s History Project in the U.S. has selected “Women’s Education — Women’s Empowerment” as the theme for 2012.
How appropriate to reflect on Surayia’s role in the education and empowerment of poor women in Bangladesh. As I work with Rita editing the film Threads: the art and life of Surayia Rahman, time and again people whom we have interviewed return to the image of Surayia patiently guiding other women, first at the Skills Development project and later at her own organization called Arshi.
Surayia Rahman and some of the women of Arshi. Photo copyright by Anil Advani and Kantha Productions LLC
Surayia’s efforts as an artist and a teacher ramified, with woman teaching their own children and being able to afford better food, better housing, and very importantly, to send them to school. Education and empowerment go hand in hand for Surayia and the women who worked with her. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we celebrate teachers and those who share their skills to empower others for a better future.