Art and Women’s Empowerment in Nepal

Saturday, December 12, 2009
Posted by: Laura Sullivan

Manjula Devi Maithil Bahun was 13 years old when she got married in her small village in southern Nepal. According to social norms, she was not allowed to leave her home nor talk with her husband in front of others. Now, 27 years later, the beautiful paintings she once only did on her floor and walls for traditional ceremonies, have helped her be the primary earner in her household with her husband supportive of her role.

Manjula is a leader in the Janakpur Development Center, a self-governed NGO that employs 41 women who are part of the Women Empowerment Through Tradition movement. While women continue to paint the floors and walls of their homes for ceremonies, they also make wall paintings on public buildings that speak to social issues. Themes are often related to health, as well as to the “peace building process.” At the Center, women of all castes socialize and share information.

Instability in the Region

Despite its growing success and its help in creating an empowerment movement for Maithili women, the Center has struggled in recent times. It is located in the eastern Terai of Nepal where political instability has adversely affected the county in general and the Terai of Nepal in particular. This violence has had a negative impact on tourism of the region and sales at the Center have suffered significantly-- with women not receiving salary for several months.

Folk Art Market

This year, thanks to the support of our donors, the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market was able to sponsor Manjula and Bimal Poudel, a social worker involved with helping the Center, to come to the United States to participate in the International Folk Art Market. While here, they not only got to exchange ideas with artists from other cultures, but they were able to earn $10,242 for the Center and women in Nepal.

According to Bimal Poudel the opportunity to participate in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market was the most significant experience of the Center in its 20 years of existence in Nepal.

Our experience with the Market has been well acknowledged and so valued that we gained courage to struggle further with the ‘women empowerment through tradition’ movement.

Response

The trip to the Folk Art Market substantially raised hope and opportunity for the women at the Center to continue their work and show their long term commitment for the women’s empowerment movement in the region. The Center raised enough for ten months’ salary for the co-op artists to pay for education, food and medical expenses, as well as a fresh water pump for the community.

According to Manjula:

We should not neglect/ignore our culture and tradition, my skill of art is so important that I have realized after participating in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. It can pay our living and support to pay for our children to go to school and pay for medical expenses of the family.

Give the Gift of Opportunity

Manjula and the Center’s story have inspired all of us working at the Santa Fe Folk International Folk Art Market. But, it is important to thank the many donors that make this work possible. Thanks to the support of our donors, thousands of communities and lives have been changed over the years. Please consider making a donation to support other artists, like Manjula, to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Donate now.