المجلس
73 شواطئ
21
20
Shawati’ 73
Al Majlis - Forums of Exchange
وتعكــــــس هــــــذه التحدّيات نمطًا عالميًا أوســــــع، تؤدّي فيه النســــــاء دورًا محوريًــــــا في صون الثقافة، فيما تظل مســــــاهماتهن تفتقد للتقدير الذي تستحقه داخل المنظومات الاقتصادية الرسمية. وفــــــي جوهر هذه العوائق يكمن انتقاص متجذّر من قيمة العمل اليدويّ، يتفاقــــــم مــــــع احتدام المنافســــــة في الأســــــواق وغياب إشــــــراك حقيقي للحِرَفيّات في رســــــم مســــــارات الإنتاج والتســــــويق. فكثيــــــرًا ما تُعامَل الحِرَفيّــــــات بوصفهن مُنتِجات بلا أســــــماء، لا بوصفهــــــن مواهب ماهرة تستند إليها ذاكرة الاقتصاد التراثي. يواجه “إرثي” هذه التحدّيات عن طريق إرساء نموذج متعدّد المسارات يقوم على بنــــــاء القدرات والاندماج المدروس في الأســــــواق. فبرامجه المهنيّة لا تقتصر على إتقان التقنيات، بل تمتد إلى تعزيز الثقافة المالية، وتطوير المنتجات، وتنمية الفكر الريادي - وهي مهارات تمكّن الحِرَفيّات مــــــن خوض غمار الاقتصاد الإبداعي المعاصر بثقــــــة وفاعليّة. كما يفتح المجلس أمامهن مســــــارات للحضور الدولــــــي عبر المعارض، ومهرجانات التّصميــــــم والشــــــراكات العالميّة، بما يضمن أن يحظــــــى عملهن بالظهور اللاّئق والتّقدير المستحق والتموضع العادل في السوق. ولا يقــــــل التمكين الاجتماعي أهمية في هــــــذه المقاربة. فمن خلال بناء مجتمعات تتعزّز فيها ممارســــــة الحِرف، وهياكل الإرشــــــاد، والشــــــبكات المهنية، يُتاح للحِرَفيّات أن يتقدّمن إلى أدوار قيادية، وأن يتعاملن بثقة مع الأســــــواق وفرص الشــــــراكة، وأن يتفاوضن على التكليفات الحرفية. ويتجلّــــــى الأثر الملموس في تمكّن كثيرات ممّــــــن يعملن مع “إرثي” من
their creative authorship and social constraints that restrict participation in professional networks. These challenges reflect a broader global pattern in which women play a central role in cultural preservation yet remain undervalued within formal economic systems. At the root of these barriers is the enduring undervaluation of their man- ual craftsmanship, compounded by increasingly competitive markets and the lack of meaningful engagement with artisans themselves. Too often, craftswomen are treated as anonymous producers rather than as skilful tal- ents whose knowledge, creativity and labour anchor the heritage economy. Irthi addresses these challenges through a multi-pronged model ground- ed in capacity-building and market integration. Our vocational pro- grammes extend beyond technical mastery to include financial literacy, product development and entrepreneurial thinking - the skills required to navigate contemporary creative economies. We also create pathways to international visibility through exhibitions, design fairs and global collaborations, ensuring their work is seen, valued and fairly positioned. Social empowerment is equally central to our approach. By building com- munities of practice, mentorship structures and peer networks, we help craftswomen to step into leadership roles and engage confidently with markets and collaborations, as well as negotiate commissions. The im- pact is tangible: many of the artisans we work with now generate inde- pendent income, participate in brand collaborations and contribute both artistically and economically to their communities.
Can you point to a moment or project where you saw Irthi’s impact genuinely transform a woman’s career or community? One of the most powerful examples is that of an artisan who in- itially joined Irthi out of economic necessity, enrolling in a basic training programme. She stayed on, continued to acquire new skills, and progressed through successive levels until she became a trainer herself - mentoring new artisans at the start of their journeys and representing Irthi at international exhibitions. Her transformation reflects not only technical mastery but also the birth of new confidence, where a woman recognises the value of the knowledge she carries. A similar trajectory emerged in Pakistan, where a group of wom- en participated in Irthi-led workshops to develop their traditional craft skills and learn contemporary production techniques. With- in just a few months, they were able to establish their own pro- ject, which became a sustainable source of income for them and their families. This experience served as a model, demonstrating that true empowerment begins when a woman realises that her skill is not merely a relic of the past, but a viable economic asset with potential for growth. International exposure has further amplified this impact. Crafts- women presenting their work on global design platforms have gained recognition and generated high-end market leads from prestigious brands. A significant milestone was the launch of Irthi’s first international Talli product line, which placed Emira- ti craftsmanship on a global stage and opened new commercial pathways for participating artisans. We have also seen local livelihoods transform through cross -cultural collaborations, where embroidery techniques were ex- changed between practitioners from the UAE, Palestine, Jordan and Pakistan. Other artisans have learned Safeefah weaving and received training in Faroukha, an essential element of traditional Emirati attire. These intricate heritage skills have since been in- tegrated into contemporary collections featured at international fashion events, further elevating the visibility and value of our artisans’ work. Across these initiatives, a self-sustaining cycle has emerged: wom- en train their peers, knowledge is retained within communities, and economic independence grows alongside cultural preserva- tion - creating pathways for more women to build meaningful careers in the craft sector. Irthi collaborates with many established designers and in- stitutions worldwide. What qualities do you prioritise when selecting international partners? We seek partners whose values resonate with ours: respect for heritage, commitment to cultural sustainability, and a gen- uine belief in the agency of artisans. For Irthi, collaboration is not about aesthetic experimentation alone - it must amplify the craftswoman’s voice, not overshadow it. This principle is upheld through a research-driven partnership model. Before embarking on any collaboration, we closely assess how a prospective partner engages with cultural narratives, how they handle authorship and credit, and how their design philoso- phy aligns with the ethical frameworks recognised by global craft and heritage bodies. We prioritise partners who view artisans not as suppliers, but as co-creators. Our collaborations with Bulgari, Cartier, Nada Debs, among oth- ers, exemplify this approach. Each partnership opens new crea- tive possibilities while safeguarding the integrity of the craft and honouring the women whose knowledge and skill sustain it. How do you ensure that cultural exchange strengthens, rath- er than dilutes, the identity of Emirati craft traditions?
Amongst the councilʹs works: cotton dolls inspired by traditional craftswomen and their everyday clothes decorated with Talli embroidery. © Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council
تحقيق دخل مســــــتقل، إلى جانب مشــــــاركتهن في تعاونات مــــــع علامات تجارية، وإسهامهن فنيًا واقتصاديًا في مجتمعاتهنّ. هل يمكنك الإشــــــارة إلى لحظة أو مشــــــروع شــــــهدت فيه تحوّلا حقيقيًا أحدثه “إرثي” في مسار امرأة أو في مجتمع بأكمله؟ من أكثر الأمثلــــــة دلالة تجربة حِرَفيّة التحقت بـ“إرثي” بدافع الحاجة الاقتصادية، حيث تســــــجّلت في برنامج تدريبي أساسي. لكنها لم تكتف بالمشاركة؛ بل واصلت التعلّــــــم، وطوّرت مهاراتها، وانتقلت عبر مســــــتويات متتالية حتى أصبحت مدرّبة تُوجِّــــــه الحِرَفيّات في بداياتهــــــنّ، وتمثّل “إرثي” في معارض دولية. لم يتوقّف هذا التحوّل عند حدود الحِرفة، بل مس إدراكها لذاتها ولمكانتها، في لحظة أيقنت فيها القيمة العالية للمعرفة التي تمتلكها. وتكرّر مســــــار مشــــــابه في باكستان، حيث شــــــاركت مجموعة من النساء في ورش قادهــــــا “إرثي” لتطويــــــر مهاراتهن التقليدية وتعلّم تقنيــــــات إنتاج معاصرة. خلال أشهر قليلة، أسّسن مشــــــروعهن الخاص، الذي تحوّل إلى مصدر دخل مستدام لهن ولعائلاتهنّ. وقد شكّلت هذه التجربة نموذجًا عمليًا يؤكّد أن التمكين يبدأ حين تعي المرأة أن مهارتها ليست بقايا ماضٍ، بل أصل اقتصادي قابل للنمو. وســــــاهم الحضور الدولي في مضاعفة هذا الأثر. إذ حظي عمل الحِرَفيّات باعتراف واسع حين عُرِض في منصّات التصميم العالميّة، كما نجحن في فتح قنوات جديدة في أســــــواق رفيعة المســــــتوى مع علامات مرموقة. ومن المحطات البارزة إطلاق
The Councilʹs craftswomen during their participation in one of the events. © Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council
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