Khadija Shariff

Khadija will work with young girls, age 6-9, from the Moremi Sisterhood of Patriot Queens at the Ijoba Shule to create designs for and silkscreen Kangas, design-imprinted Swahili cloths used for spreading political and social messages. The girls will create a skit based on discussions of African proverbs and poems, which will be printed on the Kangas. The teachings will focus on the importance of mothers of communities, of political movements, of the arts, negating popular stereotypes that disregard the importance of black women. This focus on mothers coincides with the On Our Mother's Shoulders event Khadija is co-organizing to honor the artistic and activist work of Mama Charlotte O'Neal and Mama Sonia Sanchez. Local activists and poets will gather and perform alongside and in honor of these women. The Kangas and poems created will be presented to the women, and offered as gifts to young people at the United African Community Center in Tanzania created by Mama Charlotte and her husband, Pete O'Neal.