by Vasinatta Yama – EM TV, Port Moresby
An artist from Enga province has lost all her paintings, tools and household goods after the loss of her husband.
Winnie Pependo, 42, has been painting for over 15 years.
Her equipment was destroyed by her husband’s relative, who accused her of contributing to her husband’s death.
Winnie is a person living with disability. She has been both hearing and speech impaired since birth. Despite this, she has served as President of the Deaf Association, using her home as an office dedicated to her talent as an artist.
She only communicates through email and text messages to her clients, mostly from overseas and including politicians, to sell her paintings.
However, her hard work was burnt to ashes after her husband died.
Winnie graduated in 1994 from UPNG with a Diploma in Fine Arts. Most of her paintings feature PNG’s vast culture and tales. She also sketches and portrays.
However, after the death of her husband, his relatives blamed her for putting him under pressure before they destroyed her possession. New tenants evicted Winnie and took over the house two weeks before her husband died, claiming he sold the house without her concern.
The matter is now before the district court. Winnie is now pushing for the case to be heard in the National Court, but needs money to pay for her legal fees.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LqSl5PALsmY%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
