Every year for 15 years we have done some kind of project in Iferouane, a community that has proved to be very industrious and very worthy of the things we do. After severe flooding last year we helped rehabilitate potato gardens. Still suffering from the loss of their herds in that flooding, this year we bought two goats each for 25 women. Funded in two separate Rotary grants the women received the goats in August and October.
Nomad Gallery had worked with the women of Iferouane who make extraordinary leather goods for 15 years, purchasing camel bags and pillows and hundreds of the ever popular key rings.
Leatherwork on display made by the women of Iferouane.
Aghali invited me to his house to meet with them–over 50 women.
They were teaching young girls to do the traditional leatherwork, a project close to my heart and I had the perfect project for them.
Aghali explains what I had in mind–perfect practice for the younger members.
They were sad to hear that Nomad Gallery had closed but I had another project for them. Since I have been embellishing jeans jackets I needed patches of decorated leather so I ordered 200–there were so many able to work on them they were completed before I left town and here is an example on a denim jacket now available online at Nomadgal and at the Tribal Arts Fair in Santa Barbara Dec. 5-8 or the Santa Paula Art Museum’s Champagne and Shopping December 8
Here’s an example–more to come as soon as I finish them….
We heard of several groups of tourists heading through the territory and Iferouane puts on the Festival of the Air in February. This will mean a possibility for these women to earn money that has not existed since 2007. I told them to be ready with lots to sell–they asked me to help them buy materials. If you would like to help them–CLICK HERE
Leave a Reply