Handkerchiefs with the poem Bining by writer Baukje Wytsma (1946-2022) can be seen in the exhibition Threads in Manchester UNESCO City of Literature.
Textiles and threads are deeply woven into Manchester’s history. The city and surrounding towns have long been seen as ‘Cottonopolis’, due to its enormous contribution to the cotton industry.
The exhibition includes multilingual texts and textiles from Cities of Literature Odesa, Reykjavik, Granada, Leeuwarden, Wroclaw, Melbourne, Exeter, Nothingham and Manchester itself.
Handkerchiefs from Leeuwarden/Fryslân with the poem Bining by Baukje Wytsma are on display, which were used to wave at the ships during the Tall Ship Races in 2018 in Harlingen. Leeuwarden/Friesland was European Capital of Culture that year. The handkerchiefs were made for Lân fan Taal, part of LF2018 and the reason for Leeuwarden to submit the application that led to becoming a UNESCO City of Literature.
The exhibition coincides with International Mother Language Day on February 21, the day designated by UNESCO to celebrate the importance of mother tongues in promoting unity in diversity and international understanding.
