Santa Ana Women Turn Tradition into Enterprise

The National Institute of Culture and History, in partnership with the Institute of Creative Arts, has celebrated the Santa Ana Cultural Sewing and Embroidery Group in Corozal District. The group were recognised for their success in transforming traditional craft into sustainable business.

The group, mostly older women, completed a training programme to improve efficiency, refine products, and prepare their embroidery for wider markets. An exhibit to showcase their intricate creations opened alongside the ceremony.

Exhibit curator Gilvano Swasey praised the group’s resilience, stating, “What I love is about art that women make is that their art was not the art for decoration or for show and tell, but it was the art of survival. Cooking clothes you wear… Storytelling,” he said.

Swasey also pointed at the challenges women face in pursuing creative work. He said, “Going there and being there makes you appreciate the art and the culture more because you know what all the artist has to go through… Especially for women artists.”

“I was teasing the ladies, like, ‘Mein, uno husbands mussi bex because if you deh out and I sure you get home late. Uno probably need to start eat Chinese food or cooker or something,” he added.

The exhibit allows visitors to view pieces that blend tradition and entrepreneurial ambition.