The Hidden Faces of the Rug Industry
Morocco is known for its carpets but what about the women who create them? A new exhibition reveals their stories.
Like most people, Mina Abouzahra had no idea about the women who weaved the rugs she bought on her trips to Morocco. But when the Dutch Moroccan artist and textile designer started working with the craftswomen, she discovered that they are the vital – but hidden – foundation of the whole carpet industry.
Now she’s staging an exhibition putting them centre stage.
Portrait of Mina Abouzahra
‘The women are invisible in the industry but they are its heart,’ says Mina. ‘And it’s essential to recognise them not only financially, but also by putting them at the heart of this craft by showing their skills and telling their stories.
‘Buying a handmade rug is about buying a story, a heritage, a part of a community. That’s what you’re investing in and it’s important for people to understand exactly what they’re buying.’
Soul of a Rug is now running at the Bahia Palace and combines examples of the women’s work, their portraits and stories, as well as a pop-up fair trade gallery showcasing hand-knotted rugs crafted by Taznakht’s artisans in collaboration with Mina.
There’s also a stunning 360-degree VR film that transports the audience through the whole process of creating a rug – from the sheep who provide the wool to the women weavers, exploring their artistry and the role that rug weaving plays in their lives. Because over successive generations, they have developed traditions and rituals that have both allowed them to come together in community, but also communicate their stories.
‘In previous generations, when women got married they went to their husband’s house and didn’t see their family for a year,’ says Mina. ‘Only their father was allowed to visit them in their new home but the young brides would weave a rug and give it to their father to take home. By seeing what their daughter had woven, their mother would know how the young women were. Rugs were always – and still are – a form of beautiful communication and expression.’
Halima Ait Oukhechif, 63, is one of the women featured in the exhibition. Married at 25, she moved to a village far from Taznakht and discovered that her new husband’s family did not weave carpets. With no money to buy a loom, she determined to create one for herself – and maintain the connection to her home and history. Bit by bit, Halima gathered old parts and was finally able to put together a whole loom.
Increasingly however, these traditions are under threat as younger generations choose more lucrative professions, leaving behind the skills their mothers and grandmothers have practiced for centuries.
‘We’re at a turning point,’ says Mina. ‘Today, we still have the opportunity to preserve this art form by recognizing its value because if we lose this knowledge, we lose a key piece of Moroccan and African identity.
‘I want to be part of the change, a new narrative. I am Dutch but also Moroccan and can be the bridge between the worlds. I feel the responsibility to acknowledge the heritage of my parents and ask what I can do to help preserve the things that make Morocco so unique.’
