Spring Break
Professor talks about her experiences in Benin
Gregory T. Hedgepeth II
Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: News
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At 5:30 p.m. in the Jenkins Fine Arts Building, Pienimaki presented pictures of her travels in Grand-Popo, Benin.
Though the main purpose of the presentation was to show off the fabrics she made, it ended up being more of a show-and-tell of her experiences in Benin. Several of her photographs became a slideshow of her time spent there.
She mentioned how motorbikes and mopeds outnumbered cars and how they sell poor quality gasoline in glass bottles instead of pumps.
She told the crowd that there was no control of how hot or cold the water was when showering; for others, there wasn't even a shower, just a bucket and a bowl.
She went on to talk about how the animals roam free in the country and that they can range from goats, dogs, pigs and turtles.
"Trees become your best friends," she said. "It is so hot there you just want to stop walking every five minutes and sit in the shade."
Some of the other cultural differences included funeral traditions. Funerals are seen as a joyful event in Benin as older people are often celebrated for three days after their death.
One of Pienimaki's more humorous stories included when she was talking about her experience at a restaurant.
"Sometimes it can take more than two hours to get your food," Pienimaki said. "It's better just to go and order it in the morning and tell them what time you'll be there so that you don't have to wait as long."
Freshman psychology major Darren Jacobs enjoyed the story.
"I can't imagine waiting that long for some food," said Jacobs. "I don't even like when the line is too long in the Galley."
Dishes can include everything from fish to chicken to rice dishes to fresh vegetables, Pienimaki said. Dessert is often fruit.
Some other aspects of life in Benin that she touched on had to do with the schooling of its children and the belief in voodoo, as her photographs gave some insight into some of the rituals. One image had a half-naked woman covered in goat's blood.
The last part o f the presentation was the showcasing of her fabrics as well as the paintings of her boyfriend, Victor, a Benin native.
"He wanted to be a soccer player but his father told him there wasn't much money in that so he needed to pick a trade, so he became an artist," she said to the amusement of the crowd. "I was the opposite. I had to fight with my father to become an artist."
Pienimaki presented one of Victor's pieces--a painting in the image of Mother Africa crying. Pienimaki said that this was a representation of his heritage that he never wanted to lose.
She ended the presentation by showcasing her fabrics which could be as long as 12 feet long. The fabrics in bold hues of red, blues, greens, yellows and oranges were sold in her native Helsinki, Finland at an exhibit. The fabrics were highly revered but didn't make much money.
"We had to pay for the space for the exhibit, so we were lucky that we didn't have to pay simply to have the exhibit in the first place," she said.
Pienimaki often referred to people as her friends and not "inhabitants" or "natives." She considers herself a part of the culture.
She is planning a return trip to Benin soon.
This writer can be contacted at News@theeastcarolinian.com.
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