Penduka - Namibia.

Embroidery as an income gererating activity.

Penduka – Wake up!
Namibia – this vast and sparsely populated country, with its breathtaking and unique landscapes of deserts, colours and horizons – carries the same history of apartheid and unequal distribution of resources, as neighbouring South Africa.
Penduka is a self-governed set-up employing several hundred women in rural Namibia doing exquisite embroidery and needlework in independent groups. In Oshiwambo and Herero language the word Penduka means 'wake up', used in the mission statement to urge rural women from all over Namibia to create their own jobs by becoming aware of, and building on, skills and resources that they already have.
Penduka promotes individuality and quality - a Penduka product is meant to be appreciated and used year after year, and can be clearly distinguished from mass-produced alternatives.

Embroidery of everyday life.

The `village embroidery` is a Penduka speciality where the stitches outline stories from everyday life in the village and on the farm. This free design leaves the artist with unlimited possibilities of embroidering situations and motives that concerns them. The village motives are unique artistic expressions varying from domestic situations, animals and scenery to religious symbols and messages about emotions and issues like HIV/AIDS.

The embroidery involves all well-known common stitches, as well as Penduka’s own pride, the “thick stitch”. The “thick stitch” gives a contour effect – mostly seen in the so-called “cream-on-cream” products, where the yarn and the fabric have the same colour.
At the Penduka centre in Katutura, Windhoek, the embroidery from the rural groups is assembled to the final products, and all the exclusive batik products are made.

Ithemba-Isandi.

Ithemba-Isandi wants to contribute to new ideas and new applications for the unique and skilled embroidery work of Penduka, with the aim to give recognition to these artistic expressions as the true art pieces they represent.