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Land of the UnconquerableThe Lives of Contemporary Afghan Women$
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Land of the Unconquerable: The Lives of Contemporary Afghan Women

Jennifer Heath and Ashraf Zahedi

Print publication date: 2011

Print ISBN-13: 9780520261853

Published to California Scholarship Online: May 2012

DOI: 10.1525/california/9780520261853.001.0001

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Mending Afghanistan Stitch by Stitch

Mending Afghanistan Stitch by Stitch

How Traditional Crafts and Social Organization Advance Afghan Women

Chapter:
(p.247) Chapter l6 Mending Afghanistan Stitch by Stitch
Source:
Land of the Unconquerable
Author(s):

Rachel Lehr

Publisher:
University of California Press
DOI:10.1525/california/9780520261853.003.0017

This chapter discusses the history of Rubia, a grassroots embroidery project whose model of sustainability was founded on competitive market awareness and economic returns. All the work produced in the Lahore slum district, Khanjurwal, was to be sold in the United States, and the proceeds returned to pay for more materials and more embroidery. Rubia's recruitment of women took advantage of the social networks, and was designed to fit into the lives of rural Afghan women without adding to their burdens. The literacy component in its original conception was intended to link education with economic opportunity. Rubia also began to incorporate very basic health practices into the embroidery program. Its commitment to reviving traditional textile techniques extends to using historical dyes. Additionally, Rubia's model is embedded in a threefold commitment: working at the grassroots level, working in the Afghan family context, and preserving cultural heritage.

Keywords:   Rubia, Khanjurwal, education, textile techniques, Afghan family, cultural heritage, Afghan women, embroidery

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