Needled Women: Representations of Male Conduct in Mapula Embroideries

Abstract

Domestic violence, fear of HIV infection, lack of support from partners in bringing up children and an absence of reciprocity in their relationships with men are issues that inform the subject matter used by members of the Mapula Embroidery Project. This paper examines works that show inappropriate male behavior directly as well as those that, while seeming to be joyful in mood and suggestive of a community where men and women enjoy happy communication and mutual respect, are in fact bound up with their makers' lack of amicable and supportive relationships with males in their social milieu.