Meet the Makers: Mona’s story
Our co-founder and talented artisan Mona grew up in Syria. Here she talks about learning knitting and embroidery from her mother and grandmother, and the impact of the conflict and displacement on this cultural heritage:
“My grandmother taught me how to knit. She was physically unable to move much and couldn’t do anything else, but she used to sit and put the wool around her and start knitting.
I remember in my grandmother’s house there were always embroidered artworks on the walls. Embroidery is an integral part of our being. Especially for people from the south, from Daraa and Sweida, they all know how to embroider.
My mother used to make diara (things for new babies), and embroider them herself. When I got married and had my daughter she brought me all these baby clothes she had made when I was young. She had been hiding them away until I gave birth to my daughter Massa.
I wish I was able to pass them on to Massa for when she has children, but I had to leave them behind when we fled. Maybe she wouldn’t have used them, but they would have been a good memory to pass on.
The war affected the craft of embroidery like it affected everything else. People who are living under bombardment are thinking about how to flee and how to get food for their children, they’re not going to sit down and embroider because it involves creativity and takes time. Maybe knitting kept going more than embroidery, because people started knitting items for the children because they couldn’t afford readymade clothes for their children.
This work helped me and all the women that we work with. The situation in Lebanon is very difficult at the moment. This work helps us to pay the rent, buy food, and pay for our children's schooling fees. I meet with the other women and we spend a happy time together.
My husband keeps saying that I am the master of the house now. He tells the kids that they need to ask me for money if they need something, as I am the breadwinner. With the money I earn, I pay the rent and for the children's schooling."