Dolls of the World

Dolls, the childhood companions of children, specially girls, have always been charming and loving. And the most amazing thing about the dolls is that these are part of culture of almost every country of the world since time immemorial. Proof of this is found in the excavation in South America, the Subcontinent, Japan, Italy, Greece, and other sites all over the world. Made out of materials like wood, wax, clay, cloth etc., they were not only a toy but used also as religious symbols and cult items for example as miniaturized images of persons.

Even today they are used by many people as fetish (an inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit). Today, the experts are not sure what was the first purpose of the dolls; as a toy, out of which the cult figure developed or the cult figure which became a toy.

Over and above their value as toys with educational value, dolls are realistic documentation of past and present times and therefore important source of our knowledge about the games, life, living and work conditions and economy. They are important cultural carriers.

Dr. Senta Maria Anna Siller, the honorable Mother of Dolls who is recipient of Floriade (the Netherlands), Gestaltetes Spielgut (Creative Toys – German Toys Industry), Bundesverdienstkreuz (highest civil order of merit of the Federal Republic of Germany), is one enterprising woman who is keep the dolls making alive in various countries of the world and has established different projects in Pakistan, Cameroon, Columbia, etc., in which small but long-term progress was made towards development of rural areas, help towards self-sustained development, discouragement of urbanization by way of income generating projects in the rural areas through production of certain types of handicraft items.
Dolls are manufactured here lovingly and clothed in traditional dresses and accessories. Fabric design and types of clothing are revived and take an important place in daily life.

Dolls from Pakistan: Like all other countries, dolls also figure out in the culture of Pakistan. In order to keep the tradition alive and to make doll making as a means to empower women of the rural areas, a women project was established by Dr Siller in 1993 in the Pakistani province of Punjab, that has 120 women members and it is generating income. The women here work not on full-time basis but in a traditional way so that family and field work is not compromised and festivals of different types, common in villages, can be celebrated as usual. The village Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka has about 1200 residents. The villagers established the NGO Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama in 1991, which co-operates with the DGFK e.V. (German Society for Promotion of Culture). The Anjuman itself co-operates with six further projects in the country.

Watch a short video on Dolls from villages of Punjab, Pakistan:

Dolls from Cameroon: Three co-operatives (Akwatinuighah, Akaankang, HandiCraft (CAT) are functioning since 1998 in Bamenda, the capital of the North-West Provinz in Cameroun, which is located near the border to Nigeria. Also this NGO co-operates with the DGFK, Germany. Bamenda has about 60000 residents living on seven hills, who speak eight different languages. Apart from the men of CAT, over 100 women manufacture a variety of handicrafts.

Dolls from Columbia: The co-operative Tantomejor was established in 1999 in Saboya and it works in the meanwhile with three other initiatives. Saboya has about 6000 residents near Chiquinquira, the capital of Departemento Boyaca, north of Bogota. Also this NGO enjoys cooperation of the DGFK. Over 100 women are engaged in the manufacture of handicraft items.

Project description in other languages [Via]

• Thatta Kedona
• Dukker Projekt
• Puppen der Welt
• Muñecas del Mundo
• Poupées du monde
• Куклы Hародов Mира

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