AN EXHIBITION of tapestries made by women to denounce political dictatorships has been unveiled in Limerick as part of an international conference on the role of women in peace processes.
Women's Memory Work: Gendered Dilemmas of Social Transformationgot under way at the University of Limerick yesterday.
The three-day event will see academics, activists and artists from around the world explore the experiences of women in conflict.
An exhibition of arpilleras– tapestries created by women in Chile to denounce the brutality of the Pinochet dictatorship – was officially opened last night for the duration of the conference.
One of the event's keynote speakers, Prof Marjorie Agosín, an expert in the arpilleramovement, provided a selection of tapestries from her private collection for the exhibition.
During her lecture Prof Agosín, who is based at Wellesley College in the US, presented a paper on the history of the movement in Chile, from its beginnings in 1973 to its final days in the mid-1990s.
Prof Agosín's presentation explored how women in times of political adversity created arpilleras, and the "important connections between art and social change as well as the ways in which women find creativity as well as empowerment through art and social action".
After the military coup in 1973, which introduced the Pinochet regime, the association of relatives of the disappeared in Chile began to make the tapestries.
They were handcrafted, using scraps of materials collected by women to tell their stories and support their families.
Women political prisoners also made them, to camouflage notes sent to the world outside.
The University of Limerick’s school of languages, literature, culture and communication is hosting the women’s conference, which concludes tomorrow.
The international conference was organised by Dr Cinta Ramblado and Dr Yianna Liatsos.