Tayport Harbour Café is hosting an exhibition of tapestry created by local artist Sue Doyle.
The exhibition, of both framed prints and original tapestries, is being held to raise funds to open a careers information centre in one of Cape Town’s townships.
In 2006 Sue was working as a careers adviser in Arbroath Academy when she volunteered to work for a month in a South African township school.
There she was utterly appalled, not just at the poverty, but that so little was being done to help school leavers avoid joining the huge numbers of unemployed young people already in the township.
Sue is working with a small charity called Friends of Eyethu Careers Point with pilot workshops in five schools in Langa and Khaylitsha.
Sue said: “The Careers Point is intended to hold workshops for young people in Cape Town’s townships, where unemployment exceeds 65%.
“Whilst unemployment is a problem for young people everywhere, in South Africa there are huge barriers to overcome, despite the ending of apartheid.
“Sadly, the quality of teaching is still affected by the training teachers received under apartheid, so they are unable to positively empower their pupils.
“They, like the parents, also lack the information required to prepare the pupils to make decisions appropriate to their aptitudes, abilities and personalities.
“Perhaps, most sadly, the gap between the rich and poor has widened, and with those young people from rich backgrounds more able to obtain careers guidance and information, the chances for the township youth to compete for the few opportunities available are even more unequal.
“And then there is simple poverty, with many young learners dropping out, unable to pay the fees, even for the poor state education.”
Sue loves her weaving which she feels is very therapeutic – necessary with the frustrations of trying to establish the project in Cape Town.
Whilst she does weave on larger looms, she also has a small loom which she was given following her first weaving course, a week at the Edinburgh College of Art, and which she takes with her wherever she goes.
The exhibition features colourful township schemes, and also local Scottish scenes as well other subjects.
One of Sue’s tapestries, of a butterfly chrysalis, was selected to hang in the Cordis Showcase and is currently on show in the restaurant of the National Gallery of Scotland.
A print of this winning tapestry is included in the Harbour Café exhibition.
*Sue Doyle: A Tapestry Exhibition, Tayport Harbour Café, until February 25
