São Paulo – Early this month, Nahida Alzeben, the wife of the Palestinian ambassador to Brazil, visited Acre to give a course on Palestinian embroidery to the women in the region. The work, which may be added to cushions, clothes, handbags and scarves, is historically important to the Palestinian people, who have been developing it for over 1,000 years.
The invitation to the wife of the ambassador of Palestine in Brasília, Ibrahim Alzeben, was placed by the state government, the Development Secretariat for Social Security and the Legislative Assembly, in partnership with the Acre State Committee for Solidarity to the Palestinian Cause, which celebrated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The embroidery course brought together 40 women, among them descendants of Indians, Lebanese and natives of the Amazon.
According to Nahida, the event was successful and useful for the women. "The Embroidery technique is similar to cross stitch. This embroidery is characterised by the quantity of geometric figures," said Nahida, who learnt the millenary technique with an aunt in Palestine. "Embroidery is great therapy. It is a way to concentrate and forget problems," she added.
This was not the first time that Nahida taught a group to work on Palestinian embroidery. She has already been to Colombia to teach the method. For this kind of embroidery, the ambassador’s wife recommends a thick needle, embroidery thread and fabric. "It is not complicated. It is very easy," she said.
Palestinian embroidery may be found from north to south of the Palestinian territory. According to Nahida, the embroidery shows the region of Palestine it is from. The embroidery in the shape of birds and flowers, for example, is more common among the work of Christians, whereas the geometric shapes are more commonly Muslim. Another typical characteristic is the colour. According to the region, the embroidery is more colourful, or else the predominant colours are black, white and red.
In the past, according to the ambassador, women used to make their own wedding dresses using Palestinian embroidery. "Girls learnt how to embroider from the age of seven. It is part of the Palestinian culture," said Nahida. Today, in Palestine, embroidery is more present in cushions, handbags, shoes, shoals and some garments.
With the success of the course, Nahida proposed that what she did in Acre be done in Palestine. "It would be very nice to take some Indians to Palestine to teach how to weave a hammock, for example. The exchange would be nice," she said.
*Translated by Mark Ament
