Syrian bees document the story of homeland in 100 amazing panels made of fabric waste

Some 100 amazing art panels that have been made of fabric waste recycled by over 80 Syrian women are being shown at the Dummar Culture Center in Damascus within the framework of the “Syrian Beehives” project, which was founded in 2011 with the aim of reviving the craft of recycling second hand fabrics.

“The recycling of fabric is part of the Syrian women’s culture. This craft was about to vanish, so we worked on reviving it.. In this exhibition, we display a quilt that dates back to 65 years and it was made by 90-year-old woman from Sweida governorate. This proves that this craft existed at that time and had started dying out due to the emergence of modernity,“ the Director of the project Dr. Sahar Al-Basir told Syria Times.

She added that the role of the” bees” [ name applied to women who work in the project] is to collect things together to produce something of a high quality that can live for at least 200 years to tell the next generation about how we revived this craft.

“It was one of my dreams and the “bees” accepted the idea and worked on turning it into reality… The years of war in the country have boosted the internal immunity of the Syrian people in  the country since we have a belief that we are the tools of life….I tell the” bees” that we are going to tell the world who we are , and what we have done during the war…. We, Syrians, simplify all matters and face difficulties.” said Dr. Al-Basir, whose main profession is a dentist but she moved to contribute to social works since the beginning of the crisis in the country (2011).

She clarified that the project is based on the development aspect as the women feel that they become strong after they complete the training courses on recycling fabrics.

“The women define their path, make their decision and then go ahead without carrying a heavy burden….They work upon their needs. If a woman wants money, she works and sells her products…. I tell every woman that the most important point should be you and your family and then your work, which you can do in your free time because our main goal is not to be tired out,” Dr. Al-Basir stated.

She pointed out that the younger generation has started to join the project and this means sustainability.

“Now, the project includes 60 trainers and the number of “bees”, who will be able to do this work, could hit one million in 2 years…. What we need after this is promotion for our work. I need a promotion team because we can produce honey and we want a honey’s buyer to promote our products abroad. We need professional marketing,” Dr. Al-Basir concluded.

The project offers both psychological and financial support for” bees”, according to Mrs. Ibtisam Al-Masri, who is working as trainer in Tartous governorate,

“I was displaced from my home in Qabon district in Damascus and it was difficult for me to lose my independence, but I was lucky because I met Dr Sahar Al-Baser, who helped me to overcome my situation and to start from zero . At that time I had neither needle nor thread.. I worked hard and now I am a trainer in Tartous and Homs… I am observing two groups of “bees” in these two governorates.. One of my “bees” will receive the certificate of her graduation today in this activity,” she told Syria Times.

Mrs. Al-Masri has joined the project since 2014 and she trained many people in Damascus.

“We consider ourselves as “bees” because we work hard and in silence like a bee, which turns nectar to honey and the honey is useful for the community…. We work hard and in silence to produce something that we can sell.. Our project aims to enable women to support themselves and to restore themselves to a quiet life….. We are not in a hurry to do anything. Our project enhances the psychology of its “bees” because when a “bee” sells one of her products even at a low price, she will be encouraged to go ahead since she paid nothing for getting the raw materials.. The “bee” makes a panel from something that people no longer need and she is proud of that…. Some ‘bees” told me that they cannot imagine that they can do that, but after they started doing it they said: WOW!!!  It is amazing.

Mrs. Al-Masri concluded by saying : “Some of our works are sold abroad through our relatives and the people whom we contact…We hope to hold an exhibition abroad.”

For her part, Mrs. Moshera Al-Zier from Sweida governorate said that this is her fourth participation in such an activity, which includes the Autumn competition 2022. She shows 4 pieces of her products in the four-day exhibition which kicked off on Nivember 20.

“The idea of the project that you can make a panel from the remnant of clothes or fabric waste with the use of needle and thread has provoked me to go ahead with working on this project. I collect the fabric waste from my home or the homes of my sister or neighbors,” she added.

Mrs. Al-Zier is training 12 ladies in her town of Al-Soura Al- Saghereh on how to recycle fabrics.

She asserted that the ladies in her town saw her works and admired them .

“Each piece of my work reflects part of my characteristics and psychology…..each colour I use in my work narrates a story….By the end of 2019, I joined the project after the death of my husband.. I was encouraged by my friends to take this step to overcome the psychological situation that I was going through…. The fact that I have had a talent for embroidery and stitching since my childhood has helped me develop my work,” Mrs. Al-Zier said.

Mrs. Solfa Baghajati from a group called “Needle and Thread” is also among the participants in the exhibition. She told us that any woman can follow up a training course in one of 10 centers in Damascus, Sweida and Tartous on how to make quilt, pillow and embroidery works.

“I was trained in 2014 on how to recycle fabrics and then I started to train women in my area. Every year we make a collective work .i.e., each woman in the project makes one piece and then we collect these pieces in one artwork,” she said.

The idea of the project of “Syrian Beehives” started through an activity called “ Syrian Braids” where panels were made of braids.

Training courses were held in shelters in Daheyet Qudsaya and Mazzah in 2011.

Reported by: Basma Qaddour