BOOK RAFFLE - Threads of Identity by Widad Kamel Kawar

How to enter the raffle for a chance to win Threads of Identity by Widad Kamel Kawar

1. Each ticket is £5 and counts as one entry to the raffle. If you buy 10 tickets, you will have 10 entries and chances to win the book
2. All proceeds of the raffle go to directly help weavers in Gaza get to safety via Nol Collective's fundraiser
3. The raffle is open to those based in the UK, or with a UK address we can post the book to
4. The raffle will close on Tuesday 20th February at 7pm

To find out more about Nol Collectives fundraiser - https://www.gofundme.com/f/weavers-in-gaza?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-theslowfactory&utm_content=later-40908146&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio

The book has been kindly donated by London Centre for Book Arts.

More about the book:

Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage

This book is a record of the 50 years Widad Kamel Kawar spent researching, collecting and preserving part of the heritage of Palestine. This endeavour evolved into the Widad Kawar Collection, the largest to date of Palestinian traditional dress and accessories, comprising more than 3,000 items.

In the following chapters Kawar presents the story of how the collection evolved and she introduces the life stories of the women who produced the beautiful costumes it contains. For her, each item calls to mind an individual or a place: a wife, a mother, a daughter, a family, a house, a village, a town, a field, a market. Each item was worn on special occasions, happy and sad, that marked the owner’s life. Much of Widad Kawar’s knowledge stems from the personal narratives of these women whose embroidery and dress-making skills she so admires.

Threads of Identity is a history of Palestinian women told through aspects of popular heritage, focusing on traditional dresses but also including textiles and rug weaving, rural and urban customs, jewellery, cuisine, and festivities. The interviews with women who lived through the traumas and changes of the 20th century are a contribution to oral history, augmenting standard historical accounts. While most writing about the Middle East concentrates on politics, her book focuses on the dignity of ordinary people, and women in particular, bridging the gap between the major events of history and everyday life. With this book Widad Kamel Kawar pays homage to Palestinian women.