Sarai Mugare
Robert Magurambe
Zimbabwe
2000
23" x 35"
Cotton
MSU Museum Accession 2000:30.1
Photo by Pearl Yee Wong, all rights reserved by MSU Museum

This is a "Weya" cloth, a distinctive style of appliqued pictorial textile done by women in the Weya, a rural area in Zimbabwe. Artists chose stories or themes that reflect their experiences, beliefs, and attitudes.

Though Weya appliques are traditionally done by Weya women in Zimbabwe, this piece was attributed in Harare to a Weya man.

This piece tells the sad story of a woman who hung herself after her husband beat her and left her for a second wife.

In each panel are human figures and other images, appliqued onto the story of what is going on in the story cloth. "1) John was married but he fall for a girl;" "2) The girl was pregnant and she eloped, with auntie's company;" "3) When the wifes were staying , one day they fought for their husband (shanje);" "John loved the young wife most so he hit the older wife;" "5) one day when John and his young wife were resting behind the hut, the older wife thought of running away;" "6) On her way she turn to hear her life, then in the thick forest she commited suicide, with the word (Sarai Mugare)."

From Great Lakes, Great Quilts