WATER LIFE

Woman Work

I've got the children to tend

The clothes to mend

The floor to mop

The food to shop

Then the chicken to fry

The baby to dry


I got company to feed

The garden to weed

I've got shirts to press

The tots to dress

The can to be cut

I gotta clean up this hut

Then see about the sick

And the cotton to pick.

Shine on me, sunshine

Rain on me, rain

Fall softly, dewdrops

And cool my brow again.

Storm, blow me from here

With your fiercest wind

Let me float across the sky

'Til I can rest again.

Fall gently, snowflakes

Cover me with white

Cold icy kisses and

Let me rest tonight.

Sun, rain, curving sky

Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone

Star shine, moon glow

You're all that I can call my own.

- Maya Angelou

As part of building the collection, my main goal is to address the plight of water access and its impact not only on a society but also on women in rural regions. For those of us who live in cities, we often take for granted the privilege that we have in relation to water access, while the realities of those living beyond the city grid encounter challenges that not only impacts their health but also their capabilities to contribute to the development of their communities. With this in mind, each piece is a reflection in addressing the impacts of water access as it relates to women’s liberation, health, sanitation and education. 

Having worked in several regions in Ethiopia, I often encounter on the roads a stream of women traveling on foot and carrying the heavy burden of transporting water. I have under- stood that women spend a great deal of time fetching water for the household, which has an adverse effect on the progress of women in our society. We cannot refute that a majority of transporting water to the household is a responsibility of our women, a burden that has far greater implications on our future towards developing a nation. Hence, the urgency of supporting the access to water in rural regions in Africa tackles various social issues and also is a determining factor in the self-sustainability of a community. I have chosen to create a few of these pieces in Dallol, Afar, Ethiopia to place emphasis on the message I am transmitting and to also create a body of work that advocates through art a message with
a different approach. The world is continually bombarded with the social plight of Africa therefore my focus in this project was to address these topics without the cliché that we see in mainstream media. In a sense, to advocate through art.