São Paulo – Hand-embroidered dresses worn by Palestinian women to weddings and other special occasions will be on display in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, from January 21 to March 08 in the exhibit "Raízes Palestinas: História através da Arte" (Portuguese for Palestinian Roots: History through Art). The highlight is a set of 24 typical outfits collected by Nahida Tamimi Alzeben, the ambassadress and cultural attaché at the Palestinian embassy in Brasília.
“In the past, as part of the bridewealth, the bride was given the material to make her dress. Nowadays, they wear a white Western dress, but are still given [fabric and embroidery] as gifts from the groom,” says Alzeben. These days, according to the ambassadress, the embroidered dresses are worn by Christian women on occasions like Christmas and Easter, and by Muslim females on religious dates, birthdays and folk celebrations.
The ambassadress was born in Canela, on the Rio Grande do Sul mountain range area known as serra gaúcha, the daughter to Palestinian parents. An urban planner and a restorer, she spent four years working at the Palestinian Ministry of Urban Planning in Ramallah.
Besides the 24 dresses, the exhibition features one male and one children’s outfit. “Some items were donations from friends and family, others were purchased by the ambassador (of Palestine, Ibrahim Alzeben) and others still I bought on trips,” the ambassadress says of the collection that took over a decade to put together.
The oldest items include two cotton dresses. “They are embroidery-heavy and were purchased at the border of Palestine and Egypt. These are heavy dresses,” Alzeben explains.
The show also features a picture painted by a Colombian artist, showing Jerusalem’s Old City; a picture of the Last Supper; photos of knit caps and hats worn in weddings; a Bible and a Quran inlaid with mother-of-pearl from Bethlehem; ceramic items from Hebron; bronze trays and jars; and the keys to the homes of people who were forced to leave Palestine.
The show’s opening on January 21 is for guests only. The closing date, March 08, was chosen in order to mark International Women’s Day.
“The woman is the one who keeps the struggle for Palestine alive. It is she who looks after the family while their husbands are in prison or were murdered. The Palestinian woman is the symbol of the Palestinian revolution,” says Alzeben of the decision to honor the Arab country’s women.
This is the show’s 11th edition in Brazil, and the second one in Porto Alegre. Past editions were held in São Paulo, Campinas, Rio Branco, Carazinho, Novo Hamburgo, Canoas and Passo Fundo. The exhibition was also featured in Colombia and Cuba.
Exhibition Palestinian Roots: History through Art
January 21 to March 08
Venue: Memorial do Rio Grande do Sul
Rua Sete de Setembro, 1020 – Centro Histórico – Porto Alegre
Dates and hours: Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 6pm; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 12pm to 5pm. On January 23 and 24, the show will be open from 9am to 6pm
Free admission
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
