For those of you in NYC, consider stopping by the Zerza Restaurant, October 27 from 5 to 7pm to sample Moroccan cuisine and help launch Kantara Crafts-- a new fair trade importer of exquisite carpets from Moroccan weaving co-ops, founded by Alia Kate. Kantara Crafts works with Moroccan women to ensure they are fairly compensated for their work, (and no child labor is involved) and Kentara Crafts also gives back a portion of the proceeds to organizations dedicated to the promotion of education and literacy (which you can read more about here). This is a terrific new organization -- offering both a chance for Westerners to purchase some really beautiful textiles, as well as support women artisans and their children in the rural areas of Morocco.
Kantara Crafts is also committed to educating buyers about the art and skill of the carpets -- including the symbolism in the rugs, the variations of styles from different areas of Morocco, and how often, the art in the rugs is a visual response to Moroccan history and contemporary events. Their blog "from Warp to Weft" offers a fascinating glimpse into the co-ops, the lives of the women weavers, and upcoming events. In a recent post, Kate reflected on the power of the carpets as an unrecognized form of literacy:
"Furthermore, since a written alphabet did not exist for the Amazigh language until just recently, the rural areas focused on two methods of transmitting stories: orally, and through their weavings. In other words, stories were literally woven into the rugs and carpets of a particular household. To those in the know, all sorts of information could be gleaned from the colors, patterns, and designs. In this way, these women were able to preserve a bit of their history in the warp and weft of their family's carpets.
At one point when I marveled over how intuitively Naima from Ait Daoud wove her carpets, she nonchalantly turned to me and said-- "You know how to read and write. We know how to weave."
So do me a favor, if you are in the area, stop by the launch, have a tasty snack, and lend your support to this wonderful new organization. Otherwise, check out both the website and Kantara Crafts facebook page -- where you can become a fan and watch a charming video (at the left column, bottom of the page) where Alia Kate discusses both the textiles and her hopes for these remarkable women weavers.
