Behind the beautiful colors, traditional patterns and creative designs of the handmade products, there is a long and rich tradition of handicrafts that runs through Egyptian families in Upper Egypt and other cities. Traditions like these often blur the distinction between art and craft; however, Egyptian women have been able to combine their artistic talents along with their skills to create wonderful products as a way to secure a living. The International Handicrafts Show (IHS) hosted exhibitors from all around Egypt to showcase the handmade products such as textiles, pottery, rugs, accessories and bags among others. IHS is the main international handicrafts show in Egypt held from 15 November till 24 November in Exhibition Land in Cairo. One of the exhibitors in the 2017 IHS is Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) project; it aims at enhancing the economic status of women in Egypt through developing their handicraft skills in pottery, textile, tally, embroidery and wicker among others. WEE project works on strengthening the social and economic role of women in Fayoum, Sohag, Aswan and Asyut through supporting women’s micro-enterprise and small initiatives in different sectors. “It supports rural women, especially young women, to access to their…
From Raw Materials to Designed Products by the Hands of Egyptian Women
November 29, 2017