Weaving Together Women of the World
Nestled on the banks of the Mekong River, wrapped in fuchsia-colored bougainvillea and lush tropical plants, is a magical place called Ock Pop Tok. Freshly dyed, brilliant batches of spun silk hang in neat clumps like spaghetti over the drying lines. Nearby, you can hear the rhythmic clicking of weaving looms and the soft voices of local women chatting in Lao as they work. They are dressed in a combination of western and traditional clothes—a vibrant sinh skirt paired with an American brand printed t-shirt.
I recently returned from a trip to Laos to visit Hilary Kilpatric, a friend who is winding up a two-year contract at this social enterprise. The mission of Ock Pop Tok is to use the handicraft of weaving as a way of honoring tradition, preserving culture, and putting Laos on the map. The organization was co-created by two pioneering, powerhouse, young women—a local Laotian who has been weaving since she was a little girl, and an artist from the U.K. who made a spontaneous move to Laos in 1998. An integral part of their vision is to empower the local women by providing them with economic stability and leadership opportunities and increasing the value of the work they have done for generations.
Returning to the U.S. as Women’s history month winds to a close, I am humbled by this community of women who have taken a significant step outside of their traditional roles in the home to bring their timelessly traditional work of weaving to the world through this organization. Many of the Laotian women have been impacted by the deeply ingrained cultural dynamics which perpetuate oppression in social or familial situations and a resulting sense of powerlessness over their lives and futures.
Ock Pop Tok creates a synthesis of the humble, traditional handicraft of the Laotian culture with the evolving and progressive social message that women are important, valuable, and powerful. Women from various villages are provided with the raw materials, the space, and a supportive community to participate in something quite special. Together at their looms on the river bank, they seem content as they gain strength from, share with, and encourage one another. When they come to work here, they are respected, appreciated, and fairly compensated, and the women seem to feel recognized and celebrated for their craft.
As I watch the women effortlessly and dexterously create intricate and flawless patterns on their complicated looms, I take a moment to reflect on the differences in the women’s movement in my own country. In comparison, it feels like we have made awesome strides over the last several decades, and the last couple years, in particular. Some may say it’s not happening fast enough, and they’re probably right. Yet, when we look at women’s rights in various contexts, we cannot deny there has been significant progress, regardless of whether or not it’s sufficient. Thanks to the strong voices of advocates and courageous actions of pioneering women all over the world through the generations, women are being recognized as a force to be revered.
Obviously our cultural experiences in this country are very different, and we are at another moment in our respective process, but the distinct shift happening among this group of Laotian women makes me think about the common progress of the women’s movement. Through the adversity many (if not most of us) have faced on varying levels, we have become more united. By accepting and honoring one another’s differences, choices, and decisions, we reduce the division, the competition, and the dilution of our common cause for equal rights. Seeing other women thriving anywhere and everywhere is gratifying, validating, encouraging and empowering for all of us.
Hilary who has been working with the beautiful women of Ock Pop Tok everyday for the last two years explains to me what she finds the most meaningful. “The best part of empowering anyone is giving them the tools to do whatever they want in their life.” The women who weave are given complete autonomy over when and how they work. Though the products woven on site are sold within the organization, the women are neither prohibited, nor discouraged from providing their weavings to other suppliers. Through this empowering business model, the women are able to make their own living (less dependent on men), and are developing the confidence to make their own choices, which in turn influences future generations of women. Some of the weavers are offered the opportunity to travel where they discover new skills and perspectives from other cultures and learn how they are a part of a larger artisan community.
Like the women at Ock Pop Tok, the women here on the other side of the world are also gaining new skills and perspectives by sharing our stories and experiences with one another. We have long been aware of how women were historically undervalued, underrepresented, and unrecognized. However, now together and on a global level, we are acquiring the raw materials of strength and courage we share with one another. We are developing the tools of our unique voices so we can continue to progress toward our united mission, making necessary and long-lasting changes for our children and our children’s children.
Like the women at Ock Pop Tok, we continue to learn from one another as we focus more on collaboration versus competition. In recent years, women have begun to create a more unified community where we are seeing ourselves as part of the same team and choosing to support one another in our respective plights. At last, perhaps we are able to put aside catty jealousies and divisive judgements. Instead, we recognize our common experience, and begin to honor our differences in appearance, politics, and personal and professional choices. Women from different socioeconomic, racial, and political backgrounds are coming together in annual protest marches, in sharing our personal experiences (#metoo), and in immortalizing the strong and brave women who paved the road before us.
In this country we have the First Amendment protecting women’s right to speak out. We are refusing to stay quiet about the injustices, the abuses of power, and the forms of oppression that continue even in our more modern and progressive society. We are hearing more women’s voices in previously male dominated industries like science, medicine, politics, and media. Women are demanding respect not only for themselves, but for each other. We stand in solidarity, and in doing so, gain more credibility as a whole. We realize how a victory for one of us—in the courtroom, in the workplace, at home or in another country—is a victory for all of us.
It is refreshing and inspiring to witness first hand how things are changing for women on the other side of the world in the rural areas of a tradition-driven communist country. Just as the women sit proudly at their looms on the banks of the Mekong, we are also proud as record numbers of women are elected into Congress. Regardless of our respective perspectives, women all over the world are realizing they are a part of something bigger. The ways in which we are feeling empowered and committed to empowering each other gains a self-perpetuating momentum. This is powerful moment in the women’s movement, offering us a renewed investment, a stronger sense of purpose, and a reason to celebrate women everywhere.