Embroidery Breaks the Silence of Apartheid Trauma

We all understand how therapeutic needlework can be. There are countless stories of people who have turned to embroidery to help combat mental health issues, physical and financial difficulties and many different kinds of trauma.

One of the works studied by Puleng Segalo from South Africa (source)

Professor of Psychology, Puleng Segalo, has done a great deal of work exploring how women in her native South Africa used the art of needlework to come to terms with their lives and histories, in particular, under the apartheid regime.

Embroidery as an art form acts as a creative method of expression, allowing experiences and emotions to surface which may not be able to be expressed in words.

(source)

Segalo discovered how the embroideries which resulted from this kind of self-expression were both personal and political and could be seen as ‘playing a role in the attainment of a just society’.

Although it might not directly change the world, the humble needle and thread can help people from all walks of life to understand and come to terms with it.

You can read the full article at The Conversation.