Kara Women Speak: Stories from Women of Ethiopia’s Omo River Valley

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
September 12–December 6, 2015

Jane Baldwin's 10year body of work, Kara Women Speak, focuses on the women of the Omo River Valley, and documents the personal stories of a variety of Indigenous women at the brink of a crisis as the human interventions of mega dams and agribusiness threaten their way of life. Through the voices of women, Kara Women Speak exhibition demonstrated the impact of human-altered landscapes, Indigenous women's rights, and the protection of the environment. The fine art museum exhibition, documentary film screenings, and multimedia installations created a space for critical conversations about the care of our environment, human rights for women, and Indigenous knowledge.

Jane's photography is a wonderful example of how the beauty of art can connect us to the heart of a humanitarian and environmental crisis.

— Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, filmmaker and executive editor

of Global Oneness Project Magazine

I am motivated to share my images, voices, and stories of these women as a witness to a milestone in the human condition. My experience in the Omo River led me to an ongoing fight for social justice for Indigenous communities, which will help preserve traditional knowledge and the belief systems that lead to our planet's preservation, not destruction.
— Jane Baldwin

I am still full of feeling from your work, your words, the women and the amazing voice you have brought to their plight. Nothing was spared in your ten years of observing, caring and recording.

I hope the repercussions will bounce from your efforts and the faces and stories of these women will keep the water flowing. You have done the best one human being could do to make that happen.
— Rudi Dundas, photographer

What a treat it was for the students to meet you and experience your creative energy and your commitment to justice. I am so touched by the value you see in stories, especially in preserving them. You are doing noble, noble work... and you inspired many of our students yesterday. I will be in touch soon with steps for the future.

— Brandon Spars, Ph.D., humanities teacher, Sonoma Academy

Link to film: Kara Women Speak | 2019

PUBLIC PROGRAM

Pinching the Lifeline | The Human Impact of the Global Rush for Dwindling Natural Resources,

was a panel discussion about the human and environmental impact of global land grabs, foreign agricultural investments, dam building, and the rush to claim global natural resources. The discussion was moderated by activist David Bolling, and included artist Jane Baldwin along with the following global non-governmental organization (NGO) leaders and policy experts:

Stephen Corry (Survival International in London, England) Lori Pottinger (International Rivers in Oakland, California), Anuradha Mittal (Oakland Institute in Oakland, California) and Muadi Mukenge (Global Fund for Women in San Francisco, California).