To celebrate the weavers’ work and share their stories of strength and optimism, Among Equals invited its Sydney community to meet artisans Florence Jaukae Kamel, Lina Singu, Barbra Pegasa and Colin Helivi. What a magical event! Here, an excerpt from the evening’s thought-provoking interview session, hosted by dear friend and renowned journalist, producer, publisher, Jennifer Byrne.
Jennifer Byrne: I have had the great joy and privilege of meeting the women behind the Among Equals craft and they each have wonderful stories – perhaps what is most compelling though, is not just the beauty of Bilum, but the women’s stories of empowerment and strength, and the impact that the industry has had on their lives. Flo, you worked with Caroline from the very beginning – I don’t think it is too much to call it a movement – tell us how you founded this together:
Flo: In the beginning, I didn’t know what was possible with Bilum. I had to start my life over as a single mum, I had five kinas in my pocket, I started with nothing. Now, thanks to Caroline, I have a space where I can keep my weavers safe, the world now knows what Bilum is, and our community of weavers has grown. Caroline understood the power of our craft, and the brand has made a real difference to the women we call our sister weavers.
JB: Lina, you come from the Sepik River, it’s a remote arduous journey to town, and you also have a similar story of strength:
Lina: Bilum is my life. I am also a single mother. I travel up and down the Sepik River, we train the women, we teach them the different designs, the quality, the traditional knowledge, and now I work with 700 women. Through my work with Among Equals, I have been able to change my life, I built my house and I put my son through university. He understands the importance of this work in the community, how it changes lives, and so he now works with me to continue growing the circle.
JB: Flo, how has this changed your life?
Flo: Among Equals has helped us achieve so much within our communities. Bilum-making is a cultural tradition. To understand it, you need to listen to the stories that connects the Bilum, the weaver’s story and community story, they are all connected. Through Among Equals, we started by buying 10 Bilum, then 20, 30 and now we have a market that buys every month from the weavers. Just in the Goroka community, we have 50 weavers who regularly sell Bilum, and these women now have houses, which supports five to 10 people, these are the people that benefit from the market that Among Equals gives us.
JB: There is a real sense of support here, of women helping each other. It interests me, Flo, that you went and found Lina, you found Barbra, you built a cooperative group all focused on supporting each other:
Flo: I have to be strong for the women, I have to teach the women to be strong and fend for themselves to understand that you can live independently, they respect themselves. We bring weavers from remote areas to the Among Equals Blue Haus, they travel in, they sleep over, we feed them, we buy their Bilum and they take their money right away. This is not a charity project, these women now have the strength to stand up and be their own trader. So, this is a business for them too, the women become independent traders making business with Among Equals and that is very empowering.
