Child sexual abuse is a horrid abuse of power.
What we generally do as a society "about" this crime is fear it,
abhor it, pity it’s victims, and reject the perpetrator. Repeat.
But here’s someone who’s doing something different about it:
Maya’s puppets help children to talk when they need to talk. As a child who grew up around folkart, Maya teaches the children how to explain their own worlds through the safe communication medium of art. How necessary this is for all children – to think, to build, to have agency, much more so for children who may feel their voice and their feelings have been silenced.
And within this work, how little judgment there is, of
anyone. Simply expression, that needs to happen in order to restore health.
If you read more about Maya, I think you'll also see that she is a great example of someone taking their background, their roots, the best of them, and giving back to the world in a wonderfully unique way. She is a great reminder that we should not try to impress anyone, or mimic another's path to success. We are our own best versions of ourselves, and we all have something different to give.
