- Title: Cairo craftsmen keep flame of traditional stoves alive
- Date: 17th May 2016
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (MAY 11, 2016) (REUTERS) WORKERS IN PRIMUS STOVE WORKSHOP SON OF WORKSHOP OWNER, MOHAMED GAMAL ABDEL NASSER, WORKING VARIOUS OF MOHAMED AND COLLEAGUES MAKING PRIMUS STOVE TRADITIONAL COFFEE MACHINE PARTS ON TABLE PRIMUS STOVE ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SON OF WORKSHOP OWNER, MOHAMED GAMAL ABDEL NASSER, SAYING: "We started to branch out into manufacturing traditional miniature coffee stoves, Kanaka coffee pots, and special parts used in shishas because the manufacture of the primus stove itself has become extinct. Over the years, especially in the last ten years, people stopped using the primus stove. It was first found in homes, some having more than one. When brides were preparing their houses, the primus stove was one of the most essential items on the list. But today, nobody knows how to even use it, gas prices have gone up, and in most cases gas is being replaced with diesel which isn't suitable for use in primus stoves." VARIOUS OF WORKER USING MACHINE TO POLISH PART OF THE PRIMUS STOVE WORKER FILLING STOVE WITH SAND PRIMUS STOVES AND TRADITIONAL MINIATURE COFFEE MACHINES SEEN ON TABLE VARIOUS OF WORKERS DURING MANUFACTURING PROCESS OWNER OF WORKSHOP, GAMAL ABDEL NASSER, TESTING A FINISHED PRIMUS STOVE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SON OF WORKSHOP OWNER, MOHAMED GAMAL ABDEL NASSER, SAYING: "The primus stove used to be very cheap and that is why it was widespread. Copper at the time was also cheap, and the primus stove cost around 75 piasters. I have old seals that belong to my father from 1975 or 1977, the price of the primus stove on this seal is 125 piasters. Today we sell the primus stove to traders or home furniture stores for 130-135 Egyptian Pounds." VARIOUS OF WORKERS DURING MANUFACTURING PROCESS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SON OF WORKSHOP OWNER, MOHAMED GAMAL ABDEL NASSER, SAYING: "They're usually used in rural areas, or areas where gas canisters are expensive. We also sell to Syria and Libya, as well as lots of other places. We also sell to slums where there is no infrastructure for gas to reach the area and the prices of canisters are also expensive." VARIOUS OF ABDEL NASSER, MANUFACTURING STOVES FINISHED PRODUCTS ON DISPLAY ABDEL NASSER TESTING FINISHED PRODUCT FLAME ON FINISHED PRIMUS STOVE WORKERS IN WORKSHOP
- Embargoed: 1st June 2016 12:02
- Keywords: primus stove Cairo traditional coffee craft Egypt
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Living/Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0014I71OB9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: In a downtown corner of Cairo, craftsmen in a small workshop are keeping a decades old traditional craft alive.
Heating copper and shaping it, they're making traditional primus stoves that were frequently used before large gas canisters were introduced to the mass market.
The Egyptian capital was home to dozens of workshops that made stoves like these.
But a decrease in demand has led to many of them closing.
Mohamed Gamal Abdel Nasser's workshop is among a small number that are keen to maintain the manufacturing of the handmade goods.
Abdel Nasser, the workshop owner's son, said primus stoves went from being an essential item in every household to something that is rarely used.
"We started to branch out into manufacturing traditional miniature coffee stoves, Kanaka coffee pots, and special parts used in shishas because the manufacture of the primus stove itself has become extinct. Over the years, especially in the last ten years, people stopped using the primus stove. It was first found in homes, some having more than one. When brides were preparing their houses, the primus stove was one of the most essential items on the list. But today, nobody knows how to even use it, gas prices have gone up, and in most cases gas is being replaced with diesel which isn't suitable for use in primus stoves," said Abdel Nasser, who has been working in the business since he was 7 years old.
Many homes and offices still have kanaka coffee pots in their kitchens, for those who prefer drinking traditionally made Turkish coffee.
Most kanaka pots are made from brass or copper. But the cost of copper has had an impact on Abdel Nasser's business, with the price of their items doubling over the years.
"The primus stove used to be very cheap and that is why it was widespread. Copper at the time was also cheap, and the primus stove cost around 75 piasters. I have old seals that belong to my father from 1975 or 1977, the price of the primus stove on this seal is 125 piasters. Today we sell the Primus stove to traders or home furniture stores for 130-135 Egyptian Pounds," he said.
The stoves aren't only used to heat drinks or food but in some homes they're used as heaters, according to the craftsman.
Abdel Nasser said that less developed homes in Egypt, which have no access to power, are more likely to buy primus stoves. But his products are also exported to other countries in the region including Syria and Libya.
"They're usually used in rural areas, or areas where gas canisters are expensive. We also sell to Syria and Libya, as well as lots of other places. We also sell to slums where there is no infrastructure for gas to reach the area and the prices of canisters are also expensive," he said.
The shiny stoves are also used by some as antiques for home decoration, with Nasser adding that among his customers are tourists, who are intrigued by the manufacturing process.
Abdel Nasser said his family feel passionately about the stove as his father had first worked as an apprentice at the workshop in 1967.
And despite a fall in demand for their workmanship, the family are keen to keep the flame on the family's business aglow. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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