If people migrate, not only the person moves, but also his ‘baggage’ of culture, knowledge and behaviours. The migrant learns about his new country, but he also brings influences into this new homeland.  

 

In many countries crafts play a major role in society. These crafts are often passed on from generation to generation and is woven into the cultural identity of a group or community. A craft is unique, personal and handmade; these characteristics are becoming increasingly important in our future society. 

 

The products of mass production have become anonymous and impersonal. This needs to be changed! Awareness of the origins of products is increasing and transparency is getting more and more important. Products gain added value if you can learn about their backgrounds. Crafts are a perfect medium for this; it literally leaves a fingerprint behind. Besides that, handicrafts are an easy entrance to discover the cultural diversity in our society and to tell their story. In traditional context, practicing a craft is often anonymous, but Every Craft tells a Story focuses on the person behind the product, with his or her unique cultural background.

 

 

 

- MEET MUBAMBA -

 

Mubamba is 45 years old and born in Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi, from where she fled to the Netherlands about 7 years ago due to political problems in the area. At first her request for asylum was rejected, but after two years she obtained an official residence permit. She now lives in Dordrecht, without a husband or children and has almost no contact with friends or family in Burundi. Although she was unable to take any belongings with her when she fled and is unable to return, you can easily recognize her roots in her home and clothing. In Africa she is called Mama Mubamba. If you get to a certain age everybody calls you Mama.  

 

“On sundays, I went to an Islamic school, where I learned about the Koran.”

 

Mubamba speaks Kirundi, the official language of Burundi,  and Swahili and she can read Arabic. She does not speak French, an inheritance of the Belgian colonisation, but she can understand it a little bit as it is still spoken in many Burundian shops.

 

Mubamba has especially retained her eating habits from Burundi. “In the Netherlands, everyone cooks exactly according to the recipe and quantities”, but Mubamba doesn’t. She just puts ingredients together, the way of cooking in Africa, as she learned from her mother. You can easily place her cabinet with ingredients in Burundi, only the labels are different.

 

“In the Netherlands I find a lot of food from Africa, everything is here, only the labels differ.”

 

Mubamba was young when she learned how to embroider from friends and family on the street. The fabrics she bought on the market were mostly second-hand and imported from Europe or America. In the Netherlands, she has a cloth embroidered with a floral motif. 

 

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