Nombres:
Damaris Buelvas
Vive en:
San Jacinto, Bolívar
Colombia
Elabora:
Bolsos, totes, chales
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Damaris is a survivor of Colombia’s armed conflict; she had to run away from her town twice to protect her own life; she survived guerrilla sieges, paramilitary killings, threats witch hunts and everything the Colombian armed conflict represented in San Jacinto. To date, she is still afraid of loud noises and weapons.
“I am happy knitting; I am happy with my loom; I would only stop to care for my plants”
Damaris does not have pictures or memories of her mother; her father’s alcoholism caused her mother to abandon Damaris and her three sisters when she was 4 years old. She married at 15 and became mother to Claudia at 16 years old. Damaris named the craft shop she is trying to launch at home after her daughter. When asked about her mother’s abandonment, she replied:
“ I don’t judge her, on the contrary … I wish I can see her again… if parenting one kid can drive you crazy, I can’t imagine how hard it would have been to parent 4 girls and also put up with a husband that abused her … I don’t judge her.”
Her marriage survived infidelity; at age 23, she found out her husband had been unfaithful; she left him and worked as maid in Barranquilla, leaving her daughter with her mother-in-law and visiting her once a month. After three years, she stopped working in Barranquilla and returned to San Jacinto to knit and reunited with her husband. Today, Damaris is an important artisan leader in San Jacinto; she belongs to two craftsmen associations, she constantly trains on product design and how to use Geographical Indication.
Vegan Bags, Tote Bags, Hobo Bags, Shawls, Scarves, Hammocks, Tablecloths, Picnic Sets and Quilts are made by Damaris day in and day out since she was 15 years old and was taught by her mother-in-law how to use a vertical loom. Today she is 46 years old, she has a daughter, a granddaughter and a cat.
Thank you Damaris for showing us resilience, forgiveness, reconciliation, hard work, and self-improvement.
