It’s June 1st, and I would like to reiterate: I work with an amazing group of ladies here in Tameslouht.
Artistically blurred to respect their desire for privacy.
When the association started up in January 2013, I was excited to help in any single way I could. I literally resembled a puppy jumping around at the women’s feet, waggin’ my tail and panting excitedly as I kept repeating “And how can I help?? What can I do??” They were amused by all of this misplaced enthusiasm. Probably earned a nickname or two, something resembling “the white girl that always smiles and follows us around with a book in which she writes down Darija words but we’re not sure what she does with them because she never seems to actually learn them.” Something like that. But they couldn’t quite answer my question about how I could be of service, as they didn’t even know what they wanted to accomplish exactly; they just knew they wanted something different.
We’re about 5 months in and just hit the busiest month so far. Slowly (chwiya b chwiya), the ladies have built up a network from their online presence. It is absolutely amazing what kinds of doors a Facebook page will open for any business or association wanting to get their word or product out. We have over 300 likes (YOU CAN BE PART OF THIS AMAZING GROWING NUMBER!) and a number of new connections. We’ve had visitors from Holland, Belgium, Germany, and America thus far. We’ve worked with a Fashion student from UGA (my sister, but it’s still cool!), got commissions from Mushmina (a company set up by an RPCV) and a designer in London, and will have the ladies’ work on three different websites soon, inchallah (Ezebee, The Shop for Change, and Global Goods Partners). They’re going to be trained how to use the innovative and empowering Anou. They joined the artisan-run association that puts on the yearly Marche Maroc festival. Because of our blog, we’ve been able to meet the lively and wonderful writer, Vivian Swift, and the soft-spoken and incredibly intelligent student from UPenn, Ola. A wonderful amount of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers have stopped by or asked me to bring them scarves or jewelry as gifts for their friends and family. Much tea has been consumed, many half-English, half-Darija conversations shared. And none of this would have happened if the ladies had decided they didn’t feel like making an association. Or that it would be too much work. Or that they felt it would be easier to just keep schleppin’ along in the male-dominated associations. Molehills of mountains that prevent so many women here from making changes that could lead to something like this.
I’m particularly excited about their upcoming summer camp. The association was recently approved for a World Connect grant to assist them with funding for a 10 day camp in August. 40 girls from Tameslouht and the surrounding duwars (small towns) will be instructed by the artisans in some basic, traditional skills– Fesi embroidery, basket embellishment, and woven jewelry-making. The mornings will be dedicated to instruction, and the afternoons will be for workshops. We’re going to have a lot of artisans who work with Anou come to do the trainings– I feel like an artisan-run camp (in every aspect) is going to be a much more effective, sustainable transfer of skills…albeit, undoubtedly, less comical (remember “the white girl that always smiles and follows us around with a book in which she writes down Darija words but we’re not sure what she does with them because she never seems to actually learn them”…can we mentally picture that giving a color theory talk?). We want to put the new skills into a business-oriented, 21st century context. After the camp is finished, we’ve structured a once-a-week meeting for the girls with their respective artisan mentors. Inchallah, they will continue learning and creating and business-ing as new members of the association.
So, unlike last summer– the drowning in the vast expanse of nothingness ’12– I think I might actually be doing things. Doing things besides just accomplishing goals 2&3, as valuable as they are (I am seriously the lone cheerleader for these goals. These goals and I are really, really close friends. It would just be nice to have a change of pace!) I’m also incredibly happy to have found a nice intersection between what my community needs and what I really, truly, 110% enjoy doing. Art school is proving its worth once again.
And, as always, if you find yourself in need of a one-of-a-kind gift (for someone else or for yourself, this is a judgement-free zone), please consider ordering something from the artisans. And if you don’t have any money to spend (preach), liking us on Facebook is more than enough.
