Lily Loom Acquisition

Besides being a fruitful visit back to Oberlin College where I presented on the successes and challenges of Kantara Crafts during the first year of operations, I also was able to do a couple of weaving related side trips.

On the one hand I was able to finally see Betsy Bruce's lovely weaving display in the science center atrium that was installed in honor of the year of natural fiber.

On a more personal note, a friend of mine had recently encountered this small table top weaving loom that she handed off to me. This small Lily loom is the perfect size for scarves and napkins and will require some creative thought on how to spice up the two-harnessed plain weave.

Plain weave is the most basic weaving pattern, an over-under-over-under pattern that comes about with horizontal looms that have only two harnesses. Once you start having more harnesses, you can thread the warp (vertical) threads differently and weave the weft (horizontal) threads in different patterns. With four harnesses, you can achieve the twill variations which are common in blue jeans, among other patterns. The common pattern for the Twill is detailed below:

1. over-over-under-under;
2. under-over-over-under;
3. under-under, over, over;
4. over, under, under, over;
5. repeat

So here I am with my two harness loom. All I can technically do is a simple plain weave, but then again, all the artisans in Morocco seem to make do with nothing but a plain weave rig, so why can't I?

Return to Oberlin

I just got an invitation last week to fly back to Oberlin to present on my business. The College wants an abbreviated reflection of where I'm coming from and where I am going with Kantara Crafts.

It comes at an interesting time though, as I just cracked the cover on a new book, A Fortunate Age, by Oberlin Alumni, Joanna Smith Rakoff which is a fictionalized account of Oberlin graduates moving to New York (specifically Brooklyn) to make their start, change the world, and do what Oberlin graduates (in)tend to do.

At one point early on, an Obie engages in casual conversation with a British man who ribs her on her alma mater:

'And you, it seems, are part of the Oberlin mafia.'

Beth laughed. 'I guess. Except I didn't know there was an Oberlin mafia.'

'Oh yes. Of course. The city's overrun with your kind. It's a well-known fact. Scheming Oberlin grads dominate the publishing industry, hold all the important positions in the more humanistic subjects at major universities, and so on.'

And what of the rug importers among us? Well it seems that even in that sense, I'm not alone. Brooke Pickering, the self-proclaimed Moroccan Rug Expert is (surprise, surprise) an Oberlin Alum as well.

As I reflect on what my Oberlin presentation will entail I'm going to keep in mind the quote at the front of Rakoff's book:

What she was clear upon was, that she did not wish to lead the same sort of life as ordinary young ladies did; but what she was not clear upn was, how she should set about leading any other...

- George Eliot, Daniel Deronda

Trademarks and Copyrights in Weaving

The other day I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie Odegard, former Peace Corps Volunteer, director of the RugMark Foundation and the designer responsible for creating a market for high end Tibetan carpets in the United States.

We had an interesting chat that ping-ponged back and forth from subject to subject and eventually came to rest on the fascinating subject of copyright law as it applies to weavers in the developing world. Interestingly enough, I had just had a similar conversation with Susan Schaefer Davis, another Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) who started Marrakech Express, her Moroccan carpet import business.

Both women mentioned that the artisans that they work with are oddly concerned about their carpets being displayed online. Although they have little access to the internet and rarely use it themselves (it's hard when you're illiterate!), they know that a picture is worth a thousand words... a thousand dirhams, even. Skilled artisans can take a picture, a design and replicate it without ever having seen the original piece.

At the same time, this may be more of a problem in places like Tibet, where Stephanie works, as the weaving craft is a relatively modern vocation. In places like Morocco where weaving is a centuries-old craft, most villages already have their traditional designs, patterns, and styles that they stick to and that they do better than anyone else in the country.

In a country where globalization is just now spreading into the most remote villages, it seems that these women already have a deep understanding of niche markets. Furthermore, I'm getting my education about copyright and trademark law from the queries and worries of the women. What an odd world we live in...!

Join High Atlas Foundation on their Moroccan Hafla

The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) was founded in 2000 by former Peace Corps Volunteers and is staffed by committed Americans and Moroccans alike. The foundation is committed to building on the projects undertaken by Peace Corps Volunteers and funding other development projects throughout Morocco.

In June 2006 HAF launched its "1 Million Tree Campaign" with its ambitious goal of planting-- yes, one million fruit trees in Morocco. According to community input, fruit trees are much more of a cash crop than barley and corn, which is what most communities harvest. And the impact is real-- as the High Atlas Foundation states on its website:

A nursery consisting of 50,000 saplings benefits approximately 5,000 people. In addition to on average doubling family incomes in four to six years, fruit trees strengthen the environment, and provide opportunities for training in new agricultural methods.

Part fundraiser, part hafla, or party, HAF has put together an event for this Friday, November 6th at the American Institute of Architects in New York. The event will be from 7:00pm until 10:00pm and tickets range from $50-$100 with the proceeds directly benefitting the communities in a $1 to 1 sapling ratio. You can't beat that.

Take a look at the official invite and consider attending the event this Friday, or donating to the cause, regardless.

Fair Trade Month Wraps Up

It was no coincidence that Kantara Crafts scheduled its launch at the end of Fair Trade Month. Nevertheless, it bothers me that this is still something that needs its own month for awareness raising purposes. As one of the leaders of the New York Fair Trade Coalition mentioned in passing, why do we have to create a special month to celebrate fair trade-- fair trade should be the default, everything should be fair trade.

But then again, that goes without saying.

Another caveat is that folks often confuse Free Trade and Fair Trade, so once and for all, at the conclusion of Fair Trade month, let's clarify a few basic things.

Free Trade is a concept that was brought to the masses in the form of Adam Smith's views on capitalism, outlined in his masterpiece, The Wealth of Nations. It is a type of trade policy that involves no government interference, laissez-faire, if you will. In our not so recent past, there have been several pivotal Free Trade agreements that have shaped current trade policy, most notoriously the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Opponents of Free Trade argue that these lofty Agreements between nations have undermined the production levels of domestic industries while catalyzing the business of off-shore outsourcing.

While Free Trade is not without its problems, it is also a free trade agreement between Morocco and the United States that allows me to import my Moroccan carpets sans taxes. You win some and you lose some.

It seems, then, that further distinction has to be made with the intent of the business in question, taking it back, once again to the social bottom line. Which is precisely where Fair Trade proposes its unique solution of valuing producers and promoting sustainability.

Back in my soap-box spouting days, I mistakingly pitted Free Trade against Fair Trade as though they were boxing rivals entering into the final round; I thought of the two concepts as mutually exclusive, where only one could vanquish the other. Now I know that it is much more complicated than how it seems at first glance.

In sum, Free Trade is a trade policy that can be of advantage to socially conscious businesses and prove beneficial to producers, however it should not be confused with Fair Trade. And as long as we're repositioning our thoughts on this matter, technically everything should be fair trade. I mean, who among us would actually want unfair trade?

Launch Success

Where to begin? Kantara's launch was a great success if I may say so myself.

First off, what a great venue. Zerza Restaurant was started by Radouane Aljouahari approximately 6 years ago; the small space is well decorated with a deep blue wall that is reminiscent of the streets of Chefchouen contrasted with a rich, earthy red that brings back memories of Marrakech meanderings. The food is simply delectable, having been prepared by Radouane's own mother-- no wonder.

Secondly, we decided to raffle off a beautiful pile-weave Moroccan carpet from Anzal with the proceeds going directly back to the Education Fund. We had many people buy raffle tickets with an end result of having raised $176. Thanks to everyone who came, participated, and supported Kantara and the Education Fund. In honor of International Day of Rural Women and Kantara's launch, we announced the winners of the Education Fund, having decided to fund all three of the grant applicants. I will be posting more about these projects in the coming days.

Finally, thanks are in order for Diana Frame who videotaped the event (despite the low-lighting ala Moroccan style), to Aramica newspaper that showed up to cover the event, to the Fair Trade Federation (including its local branch-- the New York Fair Trade Coalition), and to all of Kantara's loyal supporters who stopped by the launch despite the rainy day. We could not have done this without all of your support and we're looking forward to working with you in the future!

Thank you, choukrane!

Kantara Crafts Launch Today

Today we are celebrating the launch of Kantara Crafts, a belated International Day of Rural Women, and the first round of grant recipients for the Kantara Crafts Education Fund.

To mark this special event which will be held at Zerza Restaurant in the East Village from 5pm to 7pm today, we will also be raffling off a pile carpet from the Anzal Cooperative of weavers. This Red Igran Pile throw stands out because it is made completely with hand-carded, -spun, and -dyed wool.

Something that sets this carpet apart from others in Morocco is the fact that both the warp and the weft are made from hand spun wool; normally, nowadays, you only find wool wefts woven upon cotton warps. While the older carpets will have the added boon of having woolen warps, it is very rare to find contemporary carpets that make use of this dying art.

All of the money raised in the raffle will go to fund more projects in the Kantara Crafts Education Fund.

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On Illiteracy: Words of Wisdom

Having just finished Greg Mortenson's best-selling non-fiction book, Three Cups of Tea, I picked up the next book in the queue, Maya Angelou's, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

Poignant and poetic, one passage in particular jumped out at me:

As I ate she began the first of what we later called "my lessons in living." She said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations.

I am constantly reminded of this fact when I travel to Morocco and communicate with the artisans. They may be illiterate and from the rural countryside, but they have also been bestowed with a transcendental wisdom that reaches back to the annals of history.

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."

Talk about mother wit and collective wisdom of generations...!

Indian Summer from New York to Morocco

This week, summer snuck back upon us with temperature highs in the 60s, balmy breezes, bare legs, and strappy sandals. As most people eagerly switched back into summer mode, ordering ice teas and sitting in outdoor cafes, I thought to myself-- I'm not convinced.

How soon we forget!

It was only a week ago that I whipped out my winter jacket, donned my long underwear, and started cooking heartier meals, bypassing fall cuisine altogether, passing go without stopping, careening straight for winterwonderland cooking.

It was only a year ago that I was in Morocco shivering uncontrollably, trying to stay warm as I heard ominous stories of drawn-out eight-month winters in the mountain villages of the Middle Atlas.

But then, this Indian-Summer-Good-Fortune is not merely a New York occurrence-- my sources in Morocco tell me that they have also had an unnatural warm spell which is rare this late in the season.

Again. I'm not convinced. What's going on?

As if to answer my skeptical unasked questions, a reader sent me this chilling image of the drought-ridden lands of the High Atlas Mountain range in Morocco. This picture, taken by photographer Michael Hall bears the caption, "Temperatures in Morocco could rise 1.5 to 2.5 °C above current levels from 2021 to 2050."

And if you forgot what an average 3.6ºF (2ºC) temperature change can do to this world, well, go back to the drawing board, and do your homework, cause it's not just about late-season tans and mojitos in sunny streetside cafes.