MOROCCO: A three day handicrafts exhibition in Morocco draws to a close as craftsmen and women see their businesses suffer the effects of volatile prices of raw materials and poor marketing.

Record ID: 644442

  • Title: MOROCCO: A three day handicrafts exhibition in Morocco draws to a close as craftsmen and women see their businesses suffer the effects of volatile prices of raw materials and poor marketing.
  • Date: 19th September 2011
  • Summary: RABAT, MOROCCO (SEPTEMBER 17, 2011) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** ENTRANCE OF PALAIS TAZI WHERE MASTER CRAFTSMEN'S EXHIBITION WAS HELD EXHIBITION POSTER BANNER WRITTEN IN ARABIC, READING: "MOROCCO'S HANDICRAFTS: ART AND CREATION" PEOPLE WALKING INSIDE EXHIBITION PREMISES VARIOUS SHOTS OF ZELLIJ STAND SHOWING CERAMIC MOSAIC WORK VARIOUS OF PLASTER DESIGNS MINISTER OF STATE IN CHARGE OF HANDICRAFTS, ANIS PIRROU, HOLDING GLASS CUP AND GLASS CONTAINER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MINISTER OF STATE IN CHARGE OF HANDICRAFTS, ANIS PIRROU, SAYING: "We wanted to make this space an opportunity for young people to see for themselves how the master craftsmen reached this level and how we consider them as the pinnacle of Moroccan handicrafts. They reached this level because they love their trade. We wanted to transmit this love to our youngsters so they know they could live in dignity and also offer them the place they deserve." VARIOUS OF DECORATIVE STONE WORKS VARIOUS OF POTTERY DESIGNS HEAD OF AL-AMAL POTTERY, MOHAMED RHALMI, CHECKING PLATE IN HIS DISPLAY BOOTH (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF AL-AMAL POTTERY, MOHAMED RHALMI, SAYING: "I can assure people about the safety of these pots 100 percent. They can buy them without risking anything -- they will not catch any disease. This product is now pure and does not represent any danger." WOMEN SITTING NEAR TRADITIONAL CARPET DISPLAY AT EXHIBITION VARIOUS OF CARPETS ON DISPLAY WOMAN SITTING NEAR TRADITIONAL CARPET DISPLAY CARPET MAKER ITTOU AFKIR IN HER BOOTH ITEMS ON DISPLAY IN AFKIR'S BOOTH CHAIRPERSON OF SIDI HUSSEIN ASSOCIATION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT, SFIA AMINOTRASSE, ARRANGING CARPETS IN HER BOOTH CARPETS WITH BERBER ALPHABET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CHAIRPERSON OF SIDI HUSSEIN ASSOCIATION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT, SFIA AMINOTRASSE, SAYING: "We face stiff competition from middlemen. Marketing is also another serious problem for us, especially given that no less than 22,000 women are working in the carpet weaving industry in our area."
  • Embargoed: 4th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Morocco, Morocco
  • Country: Morocco
  • Topics: Business,Arts,Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVAH5PFP421JF5LNJ9QQHXLLHRW
  • Story Text: Morocco recently hosted a three-day festival celebrating the country's traditional handicraft work amid concern by local craftsmen and women who said their businesses have suffered the effects of volatile prices of raw materials and poor marketing.
    The festival, held in Rabat's Palais Tazi, one of the capital's historical palaces, coincided with the national week for handicrafts.
    The exhibitions showcased a wide range of locally made crafts, ranging from iconic ceramic mosaic pieces and decorative plaster tiles to intricately designed silver jewellery and stone statues.
    Anis Pirrou, the Minister of State in charge of handicrafts, is behind the idea of the festival.
    He said one of the event's goals was to reach out to young people and introduce them to these crafts, with which they may not be familiar.
    "We wanted to make this space an opportunity for young people to see for themselves how the master craftsmen reached this level and how we consider them as the pinnacle of Moroccan handicrafts. They reached this level because they love their trade. We wanted to transmit this love to our youngsters so they know they could live in dignity and also offer them the place they deserve," Pirrou told Reuters.
    Moroccan master craftsmen -- known locally as 'M'aalem' -- have long had a special status in Moroccan society as keepers of the country's ancestral heritage and guardians of its diverse art forms.
    The exhibition was a tribute to these men and women, some of whom have experience of more than half a century at their trade.
    Most of the country's touring visitors are sure to leave with a souvenir in their luggage which has been produced by local handicraftsmen and women in front of their eyes.
    In recent years, some products such as glazed plates known as 'tajines' have been banned in the United States and in some European countries because laboratory tests showed they contained high levels of lead and other dangerous components.
    Local craftsmen were quick to react to this alert and said it has since been resolved.
    Mohamed Rhalmi is the owner of a pottery factory in Sale, a city near Rabat. He told Reuters his plates pose no health risk.
    "I can assure people about the safety of these pots 100 percent. They can buy them without risking anything -- they will not catch any disease. This product is now pure and does not represent any danger," he said.
    The industry is not without its share of problems.
    Traders at the three-day exhibition said they suffered the repercussions of stiff competition and increasing prices of raw materials.
    Sfia Aminotrasse heads an association for rural development in Sidi Hussein in the Ourzazat province. She employs 48 women to produce traditional carpets.
    "We face stiff competition from middlemen. Marketing is also another serious problem for us, especially given that no less than 22,000 women are working in the carpet weaving industry in our area," Aminotrasse told Reuters.
    Moroccan authorities have taken some measures to safeguard both the craftsmen and buyers, but market forces are in control of the prices.
    "We incur big losses when the prices of raw material go up sometimes. Our prices don't change and we cannot put them up because our clients cannot accept any unexpected increase. This is among the problems we face," Zohra Aknine, chairperson of Al-Qods co-operative in Targa and head of Targa Association for Productive Women in Chefchaouen (region in North Morocco) said.
    Morocco's handicraft sector accounts for an annual turnover of more than 16 billion Moroccan dirhams (nearly two billion dollars U.S. dollars) and employs about half a million people.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register