from Sylvia Tischer

Afghanistan – a part of my world, a part of our one world
Until Pascale Goldenberg started the project ‘Threads unite Women‘ Afghanistan was a blank spot on my map of the world, a country that I knew little about except for news of the Russian invasion, the fighting of the Mujahideen, the Taliban regime and finally the US attacks in the wake of 9/11.
 
The project made me want to find out more about the country, its history and culture and the lives of its people, especially the women in Laghani. By now my interest in their lives has intensified – they have become a part of my and of our one world.
 
The project brought me back to old skills of traditional hand embroidery – like a long buried treasure brought back into the light. I have since accumulated my own little treasure of these squares and each time I look at them marvel at the imagination that has gone into them, the rich diversity of patterns and the multitude of colour combinations sparking off ideas how to make them part of my own creations. I have used some of the embroidered squares in wall hangings and fabric covers for notebooks, notepads and calendars that I sell at craft fairs to draw attention to this unusual project.
 
written by Sylvia Tischer (Germany)
Translated into English by Solveigh Goett