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.

Painting with Nomusa

Nomusa wants to open a tavern in the future.

The Phoenix Gallery!

Me with the wall about SIT and my collaborative hand paintings

How Should We Give Help?

Richard Aitkin's tongue-in-cheek revsion of a famous passage from the book of Matthew (orginal follows):

"'I was hungry, so you drew up budgets and formulated programmes which taught me how to sustain my dietary needs; I was thirsty, so you enabled me to launch and advocate for water projects so that I should not go thirsty again; I was a stranger, and people thought of me as the alien "other" and so you put me into language and enculturation classes so I could learn how to fit in; I needed clothes, so you budgeted for a sewing project and stressed that we must think about the sustainability of our team of sewing ladies; I was sick, so you came to the conclusion that I was not looking after myself well and my body's immune system was compromised, so you developed a healthcare programme and made me learn it; I was in prison, and so you contructed a very full programme whereby I could learn self esteem and also improve my job interview skills, so I would get a job and not be at risk of re-offending. " 

The (original passage) invites us to participate, with open hearts unconstrained by norms and standards: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; I needed clothes and you clothed me; I was sick, and you looked after me; I was in prison and you came to visit me.'" -Matthew 25:35-36

What's Happening Outside of the Phoenix office

Sometimes the most exciting part of a plan is when it changes.  My role here has been more than I had hoped for.  In addition to my three initial goals (being a Phoenix Facilitator, painting on hands and making an online gallery) I am also:

-Helping plan and implement a three day facilitator training workshop

-All the cooking for said workshop

-re-doing the Phoenix gallery entirely (specifically I am working on curating, wall text, painting a mural on the outer door, and framing)

-creating a book about Phoenix that they can use as a marketing tool

Hearing Qomdeni's Story

Qomdeni, Nonceba and Jennifer in eShowe women's prison

Qomdeni's pattern has trees.  She hopes to work with the soil in the future.

As a child she sold plants with her grandmother, who has since passed.  Her hands are strong, and as I painted them, she told Nonceba her story.

Qomdeni is 32 years old.  She did not go to school.  She is one of eight children.  Her parents are gone.  One of her sisters left their homestead and married their cousin.

Qomdeni's cousin/brother-in-law came to their homestead demanding to make all the other sisters his wives, too.  She said no.  He raped Qomdeni.  She fled to Durban where she lived homeless on the beach.  A social worker returned her to her home, and she was raped by her cousin/brother-in-law again.

Qomdeni reported the rape to the police.  They came, took him away, and returned him the same afternoon.  Her cousin/brother-in-law taunted her for thinking she could stop him.  She fled again to Durban. 

A sister died so she returned to the homestead for the funeral.  Her attacker raped her again.

Qomdeni and her brother killed that man.

Qomdeni's sister reported the crime but the case was dropped.  Two years later the case was somehow re-opened.  This year she begins her 15 year sentence.

That is how she got in prison.

What's Happenin in the Phoenix Office

1. Organizing and choosing artwork to document

2. Documenting artwork

Jon Rinke, photographer

 
3. Documenting artwork - the tools

Mosquito net, light bulb, aluminum foil, zip ties.

4. Home