Stitching stories

South Africa has an astonishing number of embroiderers and the projects they create have resulted in one of the major export industries in South Africa to other parts of the world. The work enables women in rural communities in particular to earn a decent living and support their families.

The embroidery is mainly worked in chain stitch with a crochet hook (like tambour embroidery) on a cotton fabric background and each embroidery is based on a folk tale or typical South African scene. In this example, the narrative is the scourge of AIDS in South Africa.