Tunisia – Straw rugs craftsmen innovate new products to save the industry from extinction

Location: Tunis – Tunisia

Language: Arabic

Voice: Natural

Duration: 00:05:33

Source: A24

Restriction: A24 Clients

Dateline: 22-04-2022

Storyline

The industry of straw rugs made from the Juncus Acutus plant is a famous and old craft in Tunisia. Tunisians collect the stems of the plant which grows in the valleys, dry them and then weave the rug using a special machine. In the past, Tunisians used to furnish their homes with these rugs but with the development of time and the decline in the demand for these rugs, craftsmen innovated new products from these straws, in an attempt to maintain the craft and save it from extinction, and these new products have been very popular

Shotlist

• SOUNDBITE (Omar bin Mahmoud Mubarak – Craftsman):

“I have been working in this craft since 1947. Initially, my work was to prepare the sticks, and later I started weaving the traditional Arab rugs used in homes and mosques.”

• SOUNDBITE (Omar bin Mahmoud Mubarak – Craftsman):

“We were nearly 5,000 craftsmen in this field. Shops were everywhere in this area. We also worked in the fields, houses, and workshops. People worked days and nights because each house used to use around 10 mats in the winter especially. Now very few people use these rugs.”

• SOUNDBITE (Marwan El-Shalladi – Craftsman):

“I started this work in my childhood. I used to study and work with my father on holidays. Slowly I found myself loving this work. People use it in various areas or to decorate the house. Now, we use these straws to make covers for car seats mixing them with copper, olive wood, and other materials.”

• SOUNDBITE (Afifa Al-Najjar – Craftswoman):

“First we harvest the plant from the valleys, then we dry it, and we start weaving it. We make several products, like handbags, and we include embroidery with it. We try to develop this industry so that it remains a source of livelihood for us.”

• SOUNDBITE (Marwan El-Shalladi – literal):

“We in this sector suffer the lack of labor as young people don’t accept to learn the craft. The percentage of the demand is 100%, but our production does not exceed 10% and this is due to the lack of manpower. The government does not care about this sector, does not include it in vocational training schools, and has not worked to attract young people to learn the craft. Some want to learn, but they do not find a place to learn, and this is the role of the government.”

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