INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / FEBRUARY 20, 1990 Women use art to protest military regime Freedom of expression does not exist under Chile’s military govern- ment. But women there are risking their lives in an attempt to draw world attention to the plight of Chileans. Arpilleras are small, brightly coloured wall hangings made out of fabric and thread by women in the slums of Santiago, says Douglas College Languages Instructor Sabine Mabardi. “They are made by women who struggle for freedom,” she says. “In terms of the political aspect, it is women who had no power at all to defend their rights, so they have used the only means available to depict their misery and their suf- fering.” The tapestries are made explicit- ly for export in an attempt to estab- lish links with women abroad, she says. Proceeds from all tapestry sales go directly to the oppressed women who make them so they can feed their children. The exhibit will be on display in the Douglas College Library and Theatre Foyers until March 9, cour- tesy of the Salt Spring Island Chap- ter of the Voice of Women. A wide selection of arpilleras are on sale in the Douglas College Library. Mabardi brought the exhibit to Douglas College partly for the benefit of her students. “I thought it would be nice to have this exhibi- tion so that my students could be exposed to it. And it gives me an opportunity to discuss the politics and culture of Chile.” Mabardi also has personal reasons for supporting the efforts of the arpilleristas, who have been protesting against the military regime in Chile, which seized power in a 1973 coup d'etat. “I was in Chile ten days before the coup, so I feel strongly about what happened. After the coup, I was working in Argentina with refugees, the Chileans who were lucky enough to escape into Argen- tina.” Since the 1973 coup, poverty has become widespread, and social services have been slashed. Politi- cal dissent is brutally repressed. To depict the unbearable conditions, brightly coloured scenes in the ar- pilleras include food and water shortages, unemployment, lack of medical services, demonstrations for the disappeared, for justice, for education, and for life itself. Derived from traditional Chilean folk-art, the colourful arpil- leras are made from tiny pieces of whatever materials are available to the women. “They had no supplies when the movement started. They used burlap, scraps of cloth, scraps of dresses,” says Mabardi. The arpil- lera workshops came into existence in 1976 when the Human Rights or- ganization of the Catholic Church began to provide some support to slum dwellers. Now there are about 50 of the cooperative workshops, with 15 to 20 women in each. For more information, contact Helen Rowan at 527-5189. m Mining Week 1990 sponsored by The Mining Association of B.C, & the Mining Suppliers, Contractors & Consultants Association of B.C. Careers Fair February 28th 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Pan Pacific Hotel “Welcome to the New World of Mining” If you require further information Chilean Arplileras will be on display in the Douglas College Library y and Theatre Foyers until March 9. Pee ee ere