On a visit to Haifa embroidery artist Susan Shafrir in her Ahuza home, this writer was shown her preparations for her upcoming solo exhibition, “Fabrication,” opening at Haifa Auditorium on October 20.

Shafrir’s passion for Africa was sparked when she accompanied her husband, a doctor of dermatology, on a mission to Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The trip was sponsored by the Foreign Ministry’s program Mashav, which provides aid to developing countries. The couple made several long-term visits. Shafrir loved the continent, so her social conscience deplored the abuse of Africa through the ages.

During the period of their work, there was a massive deforestation program. Foreign companies were destroying forests the size of Switzerland in order to obtain wood supplies. The denuded wasteland was then mined for lithium used for car batteries, and young children were sent into the polluted area to collect the material. The local pygmy population was then displaced in order to plant quick-growing maize.

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