Story Scarves
A retrospective overview of the Story Scarves project threads yarns from the ground up, framed by transformative arts practices and compassionate activism. I was founder and creative inspirer of a craftivism project for vulnerable teen girls in a marginalised community in Soweto, South Africa, from 2009 to 2017.
Yarn Balms
We collaboratively handcrafted scarves that embodied personal and collective narratives in the vernaculars of embroidery, crochet, and knit, as gifts for other girls in Africa. Scarves reached girls in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia. By threading inclusion with the intent of lessening xenophobic tendencies towards foreigners, participants acknowledged their commonalities despite geographical distancing, language barriers, or cultural differences. It also inspired a scarf exchange between Soweto and Harlem.
Yarn Bombs
The project shifted focus when it joined the global One Billion Rising campaign to stop gender-based violence. Scarves evolved into protest banners for yarn bombs and yarn graffiti. For the first time on African soil, teen girl craftivists gently protested as a response to the endemic crisis of GBV in their country.
Yarn Bonds
The lifespan of Story Scarves lives on today in the memories of young women who were teen girls at the time. Many are still handcrafting, some have completed craft courses to further their knowledge, others gain income from making and selling. They are passing on their handcrafting skills and story sharing practices in their own communities, and I continue to mentor and encourage my daughters. Our yarn bonds are eternal from having handcrafted in a compassionate circle of care because our yarns are tellers of us.
“There are hundreds and thousands of women and girls in all parts of the world who are standing up. Some of them we don’t even know – their names will never be known – but they’re changing their communities.” – Malala Yousafzai
