IMELDA ALMQVIST ART: JOURNEYS TO OTHER WORLDS, INNER WORLDS AND AROUND THE WORLD IN PAINTINGS!

Bangladesh, Volunteer Work, Field Hospital, Eye Clinic, Kachue-Hat, Cyclone Sidr, fundraising for Bangladesh, Bangladesh paintings, paintings inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's poems, remote rural northern Bangladesh, assisting with eye surgery, married 30 year old woman with children, woman treated as honorary men, servants, Dhaka, in loco parentis, Bengali, Indo-European family of languages, Sanskrit, NGO, YPSA, Chittagong, health care & literacy projects in Bangladesh, India, The Gods, Vishna and Garuda, the Monkey Man, Tigers, Elephants

 BANGLADESH & INDIA

Fundraising for the victims of Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh

In December 2007 I participated in a Fundraising Event for Bangladesh. In the future there will be more events as part of a larger fundraising campaign, all to raise money for the victims of Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh. As my contribution to this, any proceeds from sales of paintings the Bangladesh Series or Rabindranath Tagore Series will be donated to this cause.

 December 2007

 More on Cyclone Sidr : Cyclone Sidr slammed into the south east coast of Bangladesh on Thursday 15th November. Reports are that around 4000 people have so far been killed by the storm, but government officials fear the total death toll could rise to over 10,000 people. In addition a staggering 650,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.  Sidr lashed the coastline with winds of more than 140mph, creating storm surges which reached more than a metre high. The heavy rains caused widespread flooding which destroyed thousands of homes. Trees were uprooted and power lines knocked down, leaving thousands without power. Officials says that it is the worst cyclone to hit the country in years.  It could be a number of months before those affected by the storm can begin to rebuild their roads, their homes and their lives.

More on BRAC UK :  BRAC UK have already invested a lot of time and money in immediate relief efforts and are starting their rehabilitation programs which include; microfinance in form of small loans to help restart local businesses; rebuilding schools and tube well construction and the improvement of sanitation systems in the area

BANGLADESH

HINDU LADY  £145

   (mixed media on paper 42 x 30cm)  

In 1997 I had the privilege of spending some time working as a volunteer in a field hospital (eye-clinic) in a remote village, called Kachua-Hat in northern Bangladesh. My duties varied from illustrating a book and teaching materials to assisting with eye surgery! (I managed not to faint). It was an overwhelming experience. Staying in a tiny village where most people hadn't seen a white European person before (except in the cinema, with all the prejudice about 'loose morals' and 'being up for anything' that entailed... there were some groping attempts). One couldn't even go for an evening walk to watch the sun set without all inhabitants of the village (as well as some cows, goats and stray dogs) following!

DHAKA GENTLEMAN   £125

 (mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm) 

The fact that I was, at that time, a married 30 year old woman without any children, made me a deeply pitiable person to the people there. By (rural) Bangladeshi standards I should have been a grandmother! (I would me a lot more respectable if I went there today with my three sons, actually having produced three sons would make me 'A Queen Among Women'!) Local people coped with independent Western women far from home by treating them as 'honorary men'. E.g. the women would be preparing food in the kitchen - I'd be in the living room with the men listening to conversations about politics and local events (or as much as I understood of them in Bengali).

PEASANT GIRL    £145

  (mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

Staying with people meant sharing their bed, which took a bit of getting used to for a Dutch person! Privacy didn't exist. A wonderful family in Dhaka adopted me as their daughter for my time in Bangladesh. One day a daughter of the house emptied out my backpack.  She went through my spongebag, holding things up and saying out aloud: 'Now, I wonder what this is for!' Europeans wouldn't think of it, but we girls had great fun! The one night in Bangladesh I had a bed to myself, I woke to faces staring at me in the darkness: the servants had crept in during the night to closely inspect the foreigner!

THE MONKEY MAN COMES TO TOWN!

(mixed media on paper)   £125

The whole concept of servants was unfamiliar territory to me. Upon arrival, my Dhaka family introduced me to the family members and made me feel marvellously welcome. However, there were more people in the room, also smiling and taking a great interest in photographs of my family in Holland. I was not introduced to them. It took me a while to realise that they were servants and therefore 'there but not there', as they might have been in Victorian times in England. A very peculiar sensation! It was later explained to me that these servants came from a village quite far from Dhaka. That they were lucky to have a job and earn money to send home to their family.

SHOPKEEPER  £135

 (mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

 'My Dhaka family' really was like family. They didn't just offer me a roof over my head, they 'adopted me'. On my first morning they caught me at the frontdoor putting my shoes on. I was asked what I was up to. I explained I was going for a walk to explore Dhaka. Well, no way basically, not unchaperoned! Dhaka wasn't that kind of city! This very kind couple, parents of two daughters, explained that during my time in Dhaka they were 'in loco parentis' and they were going to treat me no differently from their own daughters. So I was allowed to go places, but only accompanied by a servant or one of the daughters of the house to visit a friend by arrangement. Today, many years later, I often think of those days and the marvellous hospitality I received.

MUSLIM MAN AT CEMETERY

(mixed media on paper)   £145

The mother in the family was a teacher in a primary school. She took me with her to visit the school. The children were just chanting the numbers up to twenty in Bengali - even I could understand that! I had been teaching myself some Bengali at home.

The letters are so beautiful! They look very alien but at the end of the day, it's just another alphabet. Bengali actually belongs to the Indo-European family of languages, as does Sanskrit. (See Language & Mark Making Series). Anyway, 'my' family gave me some Bengali school books for 6 year olds to practise reading and writing Bengali. Being offered this opportunity was a sobering thought, as 60% of the Bangladeshi population is illiterate.

ABROAD!    £125

 (mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

Bangladeshi people are poor in the material sense and have experienced more than their fair share of natural disasters (most notably floods). Yet they have an enviable sense of family and community and show a hospitality that puts Western people, myself very much included, to shame.

DANCING WITH THE MOON

(Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

Back home I carried on working as the London representative of the organisation YPSA in Chittagong, (eastern) Bangladesh. Promoting their causes and working as an illustrator on health care and literacy projects. Sadly I've had to drop this for the time being, as I couldn't give the job the time and attention it required after the birth of our second son.

NOCTURNAL JOURNEY

(Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

About YPSA. YPSA is a NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) that runs a wide range of healthcare and literacy projects all over Bangladesh.  They particularly try to encourage women to aim for financial independence through running small businesses (such as a village grocery shop, dressmaking, an orchard etc.) They don't believe in fostering dependence through financial hand-outs, but they provide interest-free loans that people may pay back bit by bit once their business is up and running. They are also particularly involved in "hot" health care issues at the moment, such as AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, the harm smoking does to unborn children and so forth.

PAGEANT   £145

 (Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

It is my dream to take our children to Bangladesh once they are old enough to make sense of their experiences and build memories for life. I would very much like to show them another way of life. I hope it makes them realise how priviliged they are, but also how poor our society is in the non-material sense.

GIRL AND HORSE   £125

(Mixed media on pape, 42 x 30 cm)

CARRYING THE PAST   £110

 (Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

LION   £135

 (Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

SANCTUARY   £125

(Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

INDIA

I visited India as well, but spent less time there. India is a huge continent and a huge subject. I won't even try to cover it, just present some paintings.

THE GODS   £150

 (Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

VISHNU AND GARUDA   £135

(Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

TIGER & ELEPHANT   £145

 (Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

INDIAN DANCER'S MASK

 (Mixed media on paper, 42 x 30 cm)

Bangladesh, Volunteer Work, Field Hospital, Eye Clinic, Kachue-Hat, Cyclone Sidr, fundraising for Bangladesh, Bangladesh paintings, paintings inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's poems, remote rural northern Bangladesh, assisting with eye surgery, married 30 year old woman with children, woman treated as honorary men, servants, Dhaka, in loco parentis, Bengali, Indo-European family of languages, Sanskrit, NGO, YPSA, Chittagong, health care & literacy projects in Bangladesh, India, The Gods, Vishna and Garuda, the Monkey Man, Tigers, Elephants

IMELDA ALMQVIST ART: JOURNEYS TO OTHER WORLDS, INNER WORLDS AND AROUND THE WORLD IN PAINTINGS!