This workshop is part of the Vagina Museum's South Asian Heritage Month Programme. The event is open to people of all backgrounds and of all genders, but is run by and primarily for folks of South Asian descent.
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Cysters bringing the henna and the healing
This event blends art, healing, heritage, and honest conversation. Using the traditional practice of henna, we will explore our relationships with our bodies, menstrual health, and the silences that surround them—especially in South Asian communities. Through gentle creation and collective reflection, we will reclaim space for intergenerational wisdom, self-advocacy, and healing in community.
🌿 Why Henna? Henna & Health Practices in Cultural Context
Henna (mehndi) isn’t just for weddings. It’s been used across cultures and centuries to honour life transitions, rest, and protection.
1:00 – 1:10 PM | Welcome & Intentions
1:10 – 1:30 PM | Begin Henna Art with Reflections
1:30 – 2:15 PM | Dr. Farah Ahmed’s Talk (During Henna Time)
2:15 – 2:30 PM | Q&A and Reflections
2:30 – 2:55 PM | Creative Winding Down + Optional Stations
2:55 – 3:00 PM | Closing Circle
A bit about Cysters
Cysters is a grassroots, community-led charity committed to enhancing the health, education, and well-being of individuals experiencing menstrual, maternal and mental health challenges, particularly those from marginalized or culturally diverse backgrounds. Our work is grounded in intersectional lived experiences and the principles of decolonization, which we term menstrual and maternal justice.
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South Asian Heritage Month at the Vagina Museum
Since 2022 the Vagina Museum has been in Bethnal Green in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, a vibrant and largely South Asian borough. Bangladeshis, and people from other parts of South Asia, have been a part of this community since the 1950’s, when the government encouraged Commonwealth citizens to move to the UK to help rebuild the country after World War Two.
Although we have South Asian volunteers and approximately 9% of our visitors identify as South Asian, there are currently no people of South Asian descent working for the Vagina Museum. We're a small team, but it is precisely this lack of representation that can lead to the kind of universalising narratives of which we are so critical. It is our responsibility, then, to put in the effort to bridge that gap.
This isn’t about putting on one seminar or one exhibition, having one diversity hire or making one statement of solidarity. It has to be intentional and ongoing. With that in mind, we’re prioritising South Asian artists, poets, healthcare workers, and other organisers during South Asian Heritage Month with the aim of building our connections and networks within the community such that those relationships might continue to flourish after South Asian Heritage Month.
As this year’s theme suggests, we’re looking to put down some roots and see where those take us.
Find the whole programme on our website.
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