Egypt’s handicraft sector has four million workers and is one of the largest sectors after the agricultural sector. Despite this, it has suffered of negligence over the past years according Mosaad Omran, president of the Chamber of Handicrafts Industry, in an interview with Egyptian Streets. Egypt is filled with many handicrafts, many of which are part of Egyptian cultural identity and heritage. As a result of technological development and changing trends witnessed internationally, these heritage professions are unfortunately being blown away by the winds and are almost disappearing from the Egyptian market. Nonetheless, there are attempts to revive these crafts by financially supporting craftsmen and effectively marketing their products in hopes it will slow down the sharp decline in demand for specific products. Moreover, the revival is also aimed at encouraging youth to learn particular craft-making and inherit Egypt’s traditional crafts and professions to keep the skill alive. Wicker Manufacturing Six decades have passed and yet she is still working in an industry facing the specter of extinction. Kamila Ahmed Hamed is from Fayoum governorate, a governorate famous for the manufacture of wicker products from palm trees and rice straw….
