HAPPY #KWANZAA 2017 – TO ALL RELIGIONS

Today, is the first day of KWANZAA, a week-long holiday honoring African culture and traditions. Antonio #DIEGO Voci was fascinated with all cultures. #Traveling he embraced traditions of many nations. Shown here is an African Mother and Child resembling Diego’s Madonna and Child genre which we posted just 6 of  last week.

“Young Mother With Child” 80cm x 40cm ,Oil on Canvas, #1061-569. Sold December 1976 by “La #Gondola” risttorante in Germany where DIEGO loved to dine!

Kwanzaa is celebrated in the United States, as well as other countries with populations of African descendants. It is a holiday which celebrates and honors #African culture in not only the #African-American community but also in the World African community.

This cultural festival from the 26th of December to the 1st of January that climaxes in feasts and gift giving, was initially established to unite African-Americans with their African roots and heritage.  Kwanzaa is celebrated by lighting a candle daily, beginning today, 26 December 2017, through January 1, 2018 when it ends. #Happy Kwanzaa all!

For more on Diego’s travels see our “Antonio Diego Voci” – History Thread on Artifact Collectors, where the Diego Voci Project has posted numerous stories shared with us by Diego #Collectors”. Here is one you’ll get a kick out of Helga Voci’s story about Diego the “perfect Indian“:   https://www.artifactcollectors.com/diego-history-4330818/Page4.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HUSBAND POISONED #DIEGOVOCI HOUSEMAID

Helga Voci is the widow of internationally collected artist Diego Voci (1920-1985).  What follows in Helga’s own words is the story for several years she was reluctant to publish about their cherished housemaid and nanny for Voci daughter Alessandra.  It is a happy story with a sad ending.

Dear Kami and Coop, Lakshmi was a lady of about 40 when she came to us.  We had contact to an Indian lawyer.  When Diego told him that we would like to have an Indian housemaid, he sent her to us.  This was in 1975 just before we moved to Wiesbaden; Alessandra at that time was about 1 year.  We all liked Lakshmi very much, she was very quiet and modest and a fantastic cook, she cooked wonderful Indian food, very hot in the beginning until we were protesting.  From time to time she would prepare Indian dinner for our guests, mostly cooking whole day long, everybody loved it.  Later on she would also cook Italian and German food.  She was mostly wearing her saris.  She stayed with us about 4 years and then she flew back to India as she wanted to see her family and after a few months she came back.  She stayed until October 1985. Lakshmi had saved every penny we paid her to take home to India.  It was a pity she had to go, at the same time nobody knew that Diego would die 2 months later.  I and Alessandra would have needed her so much.  A few months later, we found out that Lakshmi had been killed by her husband who took her money.  She traveled with him to South India to visit family there and during the trip on the train which took several days he would poison the food and she died.  Lakshmi was a very good person.

Helga Voci took this photo of her mother Gertrud Brandl , Lakshmi and Alessandra.

 

AC DV History #200 6/10/2015