Celebrating migration, the power of friendship, mothering and creativity, the project I have been leading, Mother Trees Connect The Forest, has provided a nurturing opportunity for two community groups, made up of refugee and migrant women and children living in Dover and Thanet to connect, have fun, and explore free expression through painting.

The title, Mother Trees Connect The Forest, is inspired by the work of ecologist Suzanne Simard who discovered how in nature different species of trees rely on each other and on networks of fungi, for nutrients and to communicate. This collaborative relationship helps forests thrive and regenerate, and is essential for creating a healthy ecosystem. Migration is central to human existence, and like humans trees also migrate. We all have a migration story to tell; migration shapes us, enriches our lives, and makes us who we are – as individuals, communities and nations.

The women and children participating in this project support each other through their networks of family and friendship. These networks of love and care not only benefit them in their individual lives as grandmothers, mothers, aunties, daughters and sons, siblings and friends but also their communities. We can add to this network the women who have worked together to deliver this project: Myself, Rosa, Elinor, Jan, Iveta, Pip and Sara– we are all the mother trees connecting the forest.

In just five painting workshops the creativity of the participant artists has blossomed. The subjects of their paintings are unique and varied, and give powerful insights into their makers’ lives. For example, a painting of an Afghan woman on her wedding day, who has had her wedding make-up done at a beauty salon, is made even more poignant with the news at the beginning of July that the Taliban has ordered the closure of beauty salons in Afghanistan. This follows the closure of girls’ secondary schools, the barring of women from universities, baths, gyms and parks and the Taliban’s decree women should dress in a way that only reveals their eyes. Female-run beauty salons in Afghanistan have provided a place for women to meet safely outside of the home and socialize.

Women’s lives matter. Women’s stories matter. All over the world, including in the UK, we can find examples of women’s freedoms being restricted. It is therefore more important than ever we uphold women’s rights and freedoms in the UK, and provide safe places for women from all backgrounds to meet each other, spend time together and assert our right to freedom of expression.

By Joy C Martindale (July 2023)

The project was supported by grant funding from Arts Council England and co-commissioned by Counterpoints Arts.

Project partners: Cliftonville Cultural Space, Beyond The Page ltd, Samphire, Rosamaria Kostic Cisneros.

Photos from Cliftonville Cultural Space and Dover Big Local copyright Joy C. Martindale