NEWS PHOTO GILLIAN SLADE Kratoum Warde from Syria displays an intricate tray of inlaid wood, a traditional family item, and shares her story at the Sawubona event.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
Participants in Sawubona on Thursday shared a personal story about an item of great personal meaning in their lives.
Aide Hilsendeger is originally from Mexico and says cotton as a fabric, for her, is always associated with happy memories of Mexico.
She displayed a beautifully designed and sewn child’s dress with plenty of detail. It was made from cotton fabric in a creamy ecru colour. It is a dress her mother, a talented seamstress Evelia Martinez, made for her niece.
Related:Sawubona exhibit will roam throughout the Hat this month
Hilsendeger also had a photograph of her in a wedding gown that her mother made. She says none of the silk and satin fabrics that so many of us associate with wedding gowns appealed to her. She wanted white cotton that would speak of Mexico. Her mother obliged. The wedding photograph included her mother.
Sawubona is a Zulu greeting that means “we see you.”
The idea is for participants to show an item to others and tell a story about it. It is a way of opening conversation and sharing of yourself.
Kratoum Warde came to Medicine Hat from Syria. She had a special family item – a tray with intricate inlaid wood.
The opening reception for Sawubona took place on Thursday at the Veiner Centre, where an exhibit was in place. The exhibit reveals the personal stories of a number of Albertans and their own experiences of discrimination.
