Arpilleras and the Art of Human Rights

by Rebecca West

Until hearings that have occurred over the past fifteen years (although many cases are still unaddressed), most women in Chile received no assistance or acknowledgment from the government in regards to the disappearances and killings of their husbands and sons under Pinochet's regime. Many women were drawn to the Catholic Church, which helped organize group therapy sessions for women to discuss these events. From many of these oral histories women made brightly colored wall hangings called arpilleras, which contain intricate scenes made of rags embroidered on burlap.

Unable to protest against the thousands of disappearances and murders under the Pinochet regime, Chilean women began using this craft to express themselves. Many arpilleras contain images, photographs, and the names of their missing family members. They were often passed throughout communities in hopes of locating relatives. The arpilleristas had to conduct all of their work in secret, often in basements, churches, and NGO centers. The sale of these tapestries was forbidden in Chile, so missionaries smuggled them to the United States, Canada, and Europe, to help make their stories known to the rest of the world.

http://blogs.thehindu.com/delhi/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ma15-feat2ab.jpg

The top half of this arpillera depicts a scene of village life in which there are no men (who have supposedly been disappeared or murdered by Pinochet’s army), and their wives are alone and in mourning. Below the arpillera shows children of these political shows the children of these political prisoners being fed in a community kitchen because their families are not able to provide for them on their own. What appears to be Pinochet’s face is sewn onto the bottom right corner of the tapestry, perhaps a symbol of his presence in the community.

In the late 80’s, Sting came out with a song called “They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo),” whose lyrics blatantly protest the Pinochet regime and express the mourning of Chilean women. In 1990, Sting performed the song in Santiago, and more than twenty Chilean women joined him onstage with photos of their missing loved ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiEl3KaD2aM

Sources cited:

1. Agosín, Marjorie: Tapestries of hope, threads of love: the arpillera movement in Chile. Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. N.p.

2. Cleary, Edward. Mobilizing for Human Rights in Latin America. N.p.: Kumarian Press, 2007. 16-17.

3. Dehli Compass. “Voices from the margins.” The Hindu-Delhi, 15 Mar. 2009. Web. 6 July 2010.