Mothers & Daughters Unmasked
I was inspired to write a book on mothers and daughters by my own intense relationship with my mother—a strong Eastern-European lady who survived the Warsaw uprising in Poland during the Second World War. She is a very kind and generous woman, but also very controlling. I am 49 years old, married with three children, but I still feel the need to seek her approval!
To help me understand and deal better with my mother, I was curious to find out how other women coped with this complex, sometimes destructive, but usually rewarding relationship. My research for this work in progress developed through a website (www.mummydear.com) where I invite women to tell their stories. It has resulted in over 300 submissions from 19 countries, including the U.S., Canada and Australia. Thus far, Mummy Dear makes for fascinating reading and absorbing insight into other women’s mother/daughter bonds.
Various themes have emerged while editing the book, which I will be addressing in separate chapters. For instance, as the “Controlling Mother”, Daisy, a 35-year-old from Damascus in the States wrote: “My mother undermines me and tries to control through guilt and manipulation. If it wasn’t for five years of therapy, I would be ‘divorced’.”
And the “Demanding Mother”: “We have never lived up to her expectations. Whatever we give her, she always wants more,” responds Sally, a 49- year-old English communications consultant living in Bulgaria. Or the Mummy Dear website questionnaire offers up the purely bizarre as Nicky, a British lady living in France, submitted: “My mother spent my childhood telling me that she would exit this life as soon as she felt I was old enough to look after myself. When I was 18, my mother killed herself.”
However, it is cheering to note that many of the responses were very positive and there will, of course, be a chapter on “Celebrating Mother”. The following poem sent in by a 21-year-old student from England beautifully illustrates this theme: “I’d give this world if I could say, I’m going to see my mum today; to hear her voice, to see her smile; to sit and talk with her awhile. The hardest thing in life to bare; is to want your mum and she’s not there.”
By Claire Minns
Contact Zones-Shaping the global art world
The Goethe-Institut recently launched three monographs by Kenyan artists Sam Hopkins, Peterson Kamwathi and Ato Malinda, edited by Contact Zones Apart from a slim volume on Richard Onyango by Kwani Trust, these are the first really comprehensive art books in Kenya. They are beautifully designed and photographed. Reasonably priced, they provide an in depth study of each of the three artist’s work over the last few years.
It is rare, particularly in Africa, to find art books that represent the artist in their own words. Here, the artists themselves chose the direction, writers and images, giving us a fascinating insight into each one’s practice. Rooted in his observations, concerns and understanding of Nairobi life, Sam Hopkins’s art is contextual. His work can be playful, informative and interactive, often requiring the viewer to participate. The book catalogues Hopkins’s solo and collaborative work, as well as the films of Slum TV (the Mathare based organisation he founded). The photographs depict Hopkins’ exhibitions, videos and installations. The accompanying “conversational” text reveals Hopkins’s intentions so well, making the work very accessible.
Peterson Kamwathi’s monograph focuses on his extraordinary, large-format charcoal drawings. These include a powerful post-election series called “Sitting Allowance”, and the subsequent “Queue” series. Despite being a master printmaker, painter and animator, Kamwathi chose to focus this book on his drawings. The Q&A with Sam Hopkins is a lively discussion that explains, in the words of the artist, his motivation and very personal feelings whilst making the drawings. Kamwathi is one of our most respected artists, and most of this work is now in international collections, so this book is a memento to treasure.
An internationally-renowned performance artist, Ato Malinda’s work is conceptual and research based. She has travelled widely in the last few years, and this book gives us a chance to see much of her work done outside Kenya. The formal art language by acclaimed writers and curators, such as Simon Njami, may be difficult for some readers to decipher, but it is important to look at Malinda’s work in a global context-- something that has not been done often enough in Kenya.
For art enthusiasts who want a deeper understanding of Kenyan contemporary art and how and why artists make work, these books are a must. Available at the Goethe-Institut, www.goethe.de/nairobi.
By Danda Jaroljmek
LATEST EVENTS
AROUND THE WEB
