All posts tagged: Culture

Wombs and Bilums: Post-natal Care in Papua New Guinea 

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red rooms past, passed to room to room to me, this present present Wombs and pearls and stories like fleshy heirlooms to birth you- Soukeyna O. Women and Wombs: Tangible History The bilum bag is a frayed womb, a ropey stringy thing of not only dancing fibres, but legacies of strength and resilience, legacy intertwined like gentle whispers in its yarny midst. The bilum bag is a rite of passage, a story, an artefact and an heirloom carried by men and women alike throughout the course of their lives- a time capsule of their mother’s wisdom, their mother’s mother’s wisdom and of their ancestors and theirs and theirs. From the Tok Pisin language of Papua New Guinea and directly translated as ‘womb’, the bilum bag is not only the beginnings of life but also the woven bag crafted by expectant mothers in circles of womanhood whereby post birth, their sleeping babies are laid in, their bodies taking the familiar position they once held in the womb. The sack, traditionally woven from foraged natural fibres, is …

Occupied Alphabet

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I.I use google translate to convey English phrases in Arabic sometimesA client tells me she is depressedAnd her father has been having tremors since the war startedBut usually when he is doing typically stressful things like dealing with an angry customer orFixing that damn light in the bathroom that won’t stop flickering even though the bulb is for sure new I type in the word “somatic” to try and figure out how to explain the correlation between the brain and the bodyAnd my insides laugh mockinglyUsing english to explain the destruction that the they third person pronoun have caused I think we got the order wrong in grad schoolThe disease cannot also be the medicine My people do not understand healing as a clinical hourThis lexicon of pain is not a researched and deliberately punctuated abstract,it is a slangAnd its letters are clear on the back of my grandma’s hands who birthed nine babies and buried some tooand knew to sweep the floors when it got too much and knew to pet the cat when …

Frontiers of a new artistry: Sarah Addouh on the changing creative scene in Morocco and architecture as a witness

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Join MZAB as we interview the visionary creative Sarah Addouh, a Moroccan photographer, architect and collage artist based in Casablanca. At MZAB we have been a fan of your work for quite a while. Tell us more about yourself, your heritage and what inspired you to embark on an artistic profession My name is Sarah Addouh, I am a Moroccan collage artist and architect based in Casablanca. Collage is a great way to unleash my creativity by combining old elements to create new ones. I have always been inspired by Moroccan popular culture which is by default very rich and unique due to its craftmanship, history, people and traditions. I first received a camera when I was in my 1st year at architecture school and it marked the beginning of my artistic journey. I was really excited about the idea of capturing moments of life in HD from an artistic point of view (moments with friends, family, in the streets, in the souk, in festivals). Additionally, I have always been inspired by my grandparents, as …

Mystics and Sages: Baiyinah Brookins on Tuareg Craftsmanship and the Ornamental Resiliency of a Nomadic People

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Join MZAB as we catch up with Baiyinah Brookins, founder of Mystics and Sages, an ethical sterling silver handcrafted jewellery brand which supports Tuareg artisans across Africa. Please tell us more about your formative years and what inspired your link to jewellery and the Tuareg. My formative years were shaped by the rich culture, history, spirituality, and entrepreneurship that surrounded me. Growing up the daughter of two entrepreneurs who founded an African Arts Boutique in the heart of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States, I was immersed in a world of craftsmanship, history, and culture.  The spark that ultimately ignited my journey to create the brand, Mystics and Sages, occurred when my father returned from a business trip to West Africa and gifted me a small half moon sterling silver Tuareg necklace. This necklace was a gateway to the world of the Tuareg people. I was intrigued by the beautiful geometric designs artfully etched into the silver and carefully crafted glass beads that encircled the necklace. I fell in love with the mystical lore and …