Year Two of Amalna Maroc has started off with a Bang! Our Team has hit the ground running at full speed!
Earlier this month my counterpart Nora and I went back on the road. We spent a couple of day’s visiting a new weaving cooperative in Ait Hamza nestled in the mid Atlas Mountains. What brought us to this cooperative was that they work closely with two fair trade organizations: Kantara Rugs based out of Los Angeles and Fair Fabrics based out of the Netherlands. Amalna Marco is looking at exploring the possible partnership with Fair Fabrics, so Nora and I set off to Ait Hamza to hear what the women had to say.
Nora and I drove up into the mountains to learn and see this cooperative in action. To say their work is incredible is an understatement! They specialize in a style called “hanbil”. Hanbil is a very technical and detailed style of weaving. It takes a very experienced weaver to understand the patterns and the order in which they are woven in. I pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the loom, my head resting on my hands staring intensely. I was determined to try and understand. An old weaver said to me “You see! You see what we learned? Your education was so easy, all you needed was a pencil and paper. Us no! What we learned is hard work!” I was desperately trying to understand how this beautiful rug was being crafted, but she was right! This style of weaving is tough work!
Exciting things have been happening at the weaving cooperative in Ait Yahya Oualla. First off they are saying goodbye to their antiquated wood loom held up by tomato cans and rope and saying hello to a big sturdy metal loom. Thanks to donations like yours, Amalna Marco was able to fund their purchase of a metal loom. This purchase is going to significantly ease their work load and help with quality control of their rugs even more.
Second, they had their first artisan visit. Cooperatives that are connected to the Anou can have what are called artisan visits, where tourists request to visit a cooperative. Amalna Maroc is hoping to offer something similar to this but more than just learning about rug making. More information about this will be sent out later.
The weavers welcomed our guests from London with open arms. We talked over hot tea and Tajine (traditional Moroccan dish) about the pros and cons of weaving. They helped us assemble a loom and pick out wool colors. The guests and the weaver couldn't understand each other, but it didn’t matter they both shared the common language of smiles and laughter. After photos were taken and hugs were given our guests went along their way. After exchanging some emails with one of the guests I discovered that one of them was not just your average visitor wanting to learn about weaving and photo rugs, but an award winning photograph that has been published in TIME Magazine and worked with, British Vogue, several well-known celebrities…and now weavers in rural Morocco!!
Third, the women's revenue has slowly started to go up in the past 6 months since they’ve started selling their rugs overseas. Check out their rugs here! New rugs are uploaded every month.
Nora and I have also reconnected with our neighboring weaving cooperative, in Ait Benattou. We are starting to help them through the process of selling their rugs through the Anou and other fair trade markets. Stay tuned for updates on when their product will be for sale.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
As for the Amalna Maroc Community back home, in the States, thank you for all your love and support! Without you this work would be impossible. Donations are what keep us going! If you are willing and able to donate, please donate here!
About Amalna Maroc: Amalna means “Our Hope” in Arabic. Our hope is to advance women’s development in Morocco. A primary focus of Amalna Maroc is to work with women’s cooperatives in Morocco, especially in rural areas, by providing education, resources and support that increase empowerment and economic opportunity for Moroccan women and girls.
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