Tapestry of Hope

Hidden away in the Central Midlands is beauty of surreal proportions, the landscape itself is as vast and clear as the glorious day that has been bestowed upon it. However, when one finds oneself surrounded by this beauty it is easy to forget the bustling realities of city life and all that it requires from its dwellers, dwellers such as myself. It is easy to forget the problems encountered in everyday life. It is even easier to forget all the evils and inequalities of this post modern and capitalist “city life”. The evils and inequalities that we take so for granted on a daily basis. It is so easy to forget the fact that, for most of us, the lives we lead are truly “another day in paradise”.

A project such as Tapestry of Dreams provided me with a surprisingly amazing opportunity to explore the idea of life from a different point of view, to walk briefly in a different pair of shoes, or even more thought provoking, the possibility of literally( however brief it may be) living without the basic necessity of a different pair of shoes to walk in .The Tapestry of Dreams project availed me a rare opportunity by providing a small window into the lives of ten very different but strong willed women.

Tapestry of Dreams is a really beautiful project headed by Heather Costaras along with a team of other remarkable and very inspired people. The team mainly composes of nine dedicated women (including Heather) and three men, varying in profession and purpose, who only add to the richness and quality of attention to The Tapestry of Dreams project which was recently introduced as a ‘sister’ project of Beautiful life project.com. The project not only grants the opportunity for the selected women to tell their stories but also entails a real opportunity of change. The women will not only gain exposure through this experience by being filmed for a documentary and participating in a big fashion show. The garments worn by the ladies will be auctioned off and the proceeds will be brought back into the community by being donated to charity. There will also be a real prospect of business opportunity as the women will be aided by Chem city, a division of Sasol that initiates the start of small businesses to start and maintain their own businesses.

The ten women all hail from various areas in and around Winterton and Loskop in the Kwazulu Natal Province. They also vary in age, with the youngest Nondumiso being only 20 years old and the oldest Thuli, 36 years old. These amazing women were selected through the Isibani organisation to take part in this project because they are all active in their community’s and are affected in some way or the other by the HIV/ AIDS pandemic. They have all faced hardships due to the high prevalence of HIV/ AIDS in this province and all have a compelling story to tell about their lives and experiences. The Tapestry of Dreams project is uniquely enthralling as its main focus is on women and therefore encompasses not only the stories of these women but more importantly the story told from women’s point of view which is vital as statistically women have the highest infection rate and, due to beliefs and cultures, in these communities women rarely have the opportunity to speak out about the challenges they face not only as members of the community but also as individuals. They seldom get the opportunity to express their problems and concerns, nor their hopes and dreams.

The fact that The Tapestry of Dreams project held its first “mini” fashion show, which showcased exquisite beadwork from the Amangwe Zulu Craft beaders, during the National Woman’s Day weekend was truly heartening and only places greater significance on the cause. Our ten models were provided with the opportunity to experience a lot of exciting “firsts”. For many of these women it was the first time they experienced having hair and makeup done professionally for them. It was the first time these women worked closely with the designers who will be making their garments for the final show in November. It was the first time they wore such gorgeously elaborate jewelry. It was the first time they got the opportunity to bask in the spotlight by participating in the fashion show and most enjoyably the opportunity to dine at a buffet that presented the most tantalizing assortment of foods. To think that this was just a taste of what is yet to come was not only exciting for the women but also for everybody involved in the inevitable transformation ahead.

As a young designer, participating in a project of this magnitude, I say magnitude not only because it is exciting to be associated with Tapestry of Dreams but a real privilege due to the simple fact that it is an opportunity to be personally involved with an array of such strong willed and authentic people. The experience of working with these women and the team is truly inspiring and is really encouraging, concerning the notion and hope of the possibility of very different people working together with the same ethos and purpose to attain change in this world. The Tapestry of Dreams for me not only represents the possibility of attaining your dreams whatever the circumstances may be but a real indicator that even in the grimmest of times there will always be a glimmer of hope.

On behalf of the four designers who participated in the “Women’s Day Weekend” I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to Heather and everybody who took part in enabling The Tapestry of Dreams Project.
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Written by Botho Chalebgwa. Linea Student