“My sentimental object is a painting of eight Congolese women hanging in my family’s home. It was painted in 2000 in Durban in South Africa, by an artist called Barbara Ploner. She specialises in post-war and contemporary art. This painting is vibrant, filled with sweeping oranges, reds, greens and pinks. I feel like she really highlights African womanhood, identity, strength and empowerment. I grew up with this painting, it moved to different houses with us, and I actually used to sit on the floor and talk to the women as a child.

Another thing it represents for me is our journey to New Zealand. I was born in South Africa, and when we moved to Pāpāmoa, we were finally able to hang this painting up somewhere permanent. It represented establishing our home here, and being a citizen in another place. For that reason sentimentalism to me is tied to family. It’s something that we share, something that highlights a journey we've been on. Family is everything to me.” - Shuari, Pāpāmoa. (Interview: Nicole Barratt) Find Shuari: @moraka_menstrual_cups