“THREADS”
Empowering Impoverished Women One Stitch at A Time. By Sarah Polyakov
Sometimes the kind of positive change that impacts an entire community is born out of extreme adversity. Sometimes these struggles seem so insurmountable that overcoming adversity would be a long shot. But, sometimes miracles happen and all that which appeared to be unconquerable lays vanquished with only needle and thread.
Such is the story of Surayia Rahman who not only single-handedly supported her family, but provided hundreds of destitute women in her community the tools to lift themselves out of poverty. And it all began with the simple tools of thread and needle.
Fiber work is as old as time itself. For thousands of years women have sat together threading cloth for shelter, clothing, and warmth. Though it appears to be straightforward, they have been accomplishing so much more than simply providing for life’s necessities.
Throughout history, women have been creating a sense of community that transcended the work itself. Though their lives have often been intricately twined and joined to the thread they hold in their hands, little did they know it was to become a redeeming, indeed, a saving element in their lives.
In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and the most densely populated city in the world, the lives of thousands of women have been changed one stitch at a time.
In the documentary “Threads”, Gig Harbor husband and wife team Cathy Stevulak and Leonard Hill explore the life of an unconventional, forward-thinking woman who took the ancient art of Bengal called kantha quilt work in a different direction. Surayia Rahman, a Bangladeshi artist who supported her bedridden husband and her children through her own art, changed traditional kantha quilting to take on a new form; a wall tapestry known as nakshi kantha tapestry, which tells traditional stories through very detailed stitch-work.
But Surayia did much more than to help bring back a dying art form. She also sowed the seeds of empowerment that eventually led to lifting hundreds of Bangladeshi women and their children out of poverty.
The kantha revival began in the early 1970’s. Bangladesh had become independent, but war and natural disasters had left the country’s economy in shambles. During this time, women were still able to patch together basic quilts as necessary; but they could no longer take time to finish ones that were elaborately embroidered. Within this war-torn context, many women were left to head households and it was then that income-generating programs, such as Surayia’s, were born.
Stevulak and Hill have meticulously and tirelessly worked for five years to bring this story of empowerment to us. Their company, Kantha Productions LLC, is producing “Threads,” which Cathy wrote.
Prior to 2009, Cathy and Len were posted in Bangladesh where Cathy worked with the United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP) and Len worked at the United States Embassy. After they moved back to this area, they put their careers on hold when they learned that Surayia was in ill health. In a flash of inspiration, their film was conceived as a way to “save the story that has saved lives.”
“We had experienced this place and these resilient people. We were encouraged to make the film. We had to follow this path we were drawn to in order to make it happen,” said Cathy.
With no prior experience in film production, Cathy and Len gathered an experienced international team together. They were assisted by the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula communities. Professional filmmakers at the Gig Harbor filmmaker’s monthly meetings and students of the multicultural communications class of Tacoma Community College – Gig Harbor shared ideas with them. The Harbor History Museum and community service organizations invited them to make slide presentations. Members at the community pool asked questions and brainstormed ideas. Citizens of Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula as well as people around the world donated funds to produce the film. Thus, Cathy and Leonard’s greatest hope is that hometown audiences will have the chance to see and to be inspired by the positive and universal message that is presented in “Threads.”
Even though “Threads” takes viewers through an intimate journey of Surayia’s life, it also tells the story of her own offbeat path toward independence during an indeterminate era in Bangladesh’s history. Over the thirty-year time-span when Surayia refines her work and revives this ancient art, she is also able personally to see the social fruits of her labor. Through her perseverance and artistic vision, Surayia leaves a legacy of tremendous generational impact: women who were previously without options bought their own land, sent their children to school, established financial security for themselves and their families, and taught other women their skill.
The women Surayia employed were part of the lowest rung of society, unable to break the generational cycle of poverty. Though they were unskilled and undereducated, Surayia had a vision and a potential market. With artful and traditional stories as her inspiration, she taught her employees how to intricately embroider them and bring them to life.
Surayia’s exquisite work can be found hanging in the US Embassy in Bangladesh and at various places around the globe including in the homes of dignitaries and presidents as well as museums.
Whether audience members are in Gig Harbor or Dhaka, the message that Threads conveys an inspirational lesson for all viewers. The film allows viewers to get up close and personal with a woman who literally had ‘all the cards stacked against her’ and overcame what appeared to be insurmountable roadblocks. With purposefulness and talent, needle and thread, all became achievable.
But, her most powerful triumph was helping women break the cycle of poverty for their own families. Surayia’s story demonstrates to all of us that there is no such word as ‘impossible.’ This “story that saves lives” leaves us wondering what legacy each of us might leave and demonstrates that whatever goal or dream, with perseverance, anything is possible.
The film will be showing on Saturday, October 18th at 1:05pm at the Galaxy Theatre Uptown as part of the Gig Harbor Film Festival. For more information and to view the film trailer, please visit http://kanthathreads.com/
