Painting with Qomdeni

Qomdeni, myself and Phoenix Facilitator Thembaletu.  Photo by Jon.

On my last day at Eshowe Women's Prison.  It is a "plastic bag society" - everything brought into the prison must be in a plastic bag.

While painting for a second time with Qomdeni, she said "Before you came, I didn't know I could draw.  But now I have made drawings that I love."  She said she would have labeled everything in the drawing but no one would help her (she never learned to write).  I realized that drawing pictures is the closest thing she has to writing.

She does not have any drawing materials.  Today was my last day in the prison.  When I went in to give her the photo of her hand painting, I also gave her all my colored pencils, a pencil sharpener, a pencil case that was given to me years ago and some paper in a folder.  I hope she knows that she has given me much more.