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In the summer of 2005, an elder Somali
woman saw yarn through one of the windows of the East African Women’s
Center in Minneapolis and came in to ask how much it cost.
A staff member asked her what she |
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was
going to make, and to everyone’s surprise, she pulled a
beautiful weaving from her bag. Through this happy accident, the
staff at the Center learned that there were elder women in the
Twin Cities who still remembered how to create the twined weavings
of Somalia. The Women’s Center started by providing these
weavers with materials, connecting them with each other, and finding
them opportunities to display their work. Stories in the Cloth,
the first of several exhibitions of the weavers’ work, was
presented at The Textile Center of Minnesota in 2006.
Adding sewers to the Cooperative.
When sewers expressed interest in participating,
this venture began to evolve into a Textile Cooperative. In addition
to providing women with a little supplemental income, the Cooperative’s
learning possibilities are limitless: besides standards of quality
and working with deadlines, women can practice their public speaking,
market the Cooperative’s products in person or on line,
and learn computer skills to keep records. |
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The large activity space or
“living room” at the Center is a place for elder women
to drink Somali tea, compare weaving techniques, and socialize.
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| On November 16, 2007,Augsburg
College held its opening for DuntaBulshada iskuzirta (Threads of
Community). |
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With vans transporting people
between the two sites, approximately 250 people enjoyed the exhibit
atAugsburg College and the Center’s first craft sale at the
Women’s Center. |
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