On the sidelines of her participation in the latest Handicraft Fair in Beni Mellal, Soukaina Ouhmouzou, president of a cooperative barely 21 years old, shares with us her ambitions and the reasons that prompted her to market handmade artisanal products.
ALM: What are the products of your cooperative and their prices?
Soukaina Ouhmouzou: We manufacture all traditional multicolored products such as carpets (zrabi) made of cotton, colored threads, or silk, and belts embroidered with Mouzoun, which is a round and shiny metal that women of the Middle Atlas wear especially during festivals. Regarding prices, they vary between 150 DH and 200 DH for small belts embroidered with Mouzoun and between 305 DH and 450 DH for large belts. Note that the price of a product increases according to the quantity and quality of the ingredients that compose it.
Why did you participate in the Regional Handicraft Fair that was recently organized in Beni Mellal?
Our young cooperative, which was just created in June 2024, really needs to be known. This is the second Fair in which we have taken part after the one in Mrirt, which falls under the Khénifra province, Tadla-Azilal region. Our goal is to contact a large number of cooperatives to benefit from their experiences in terms of production and marketing of various products. I am 21 years old. Still very young, I must emphasize the exchange of ideas and experiences to move forward. To succeed, one is required to be supervised, monitored, and accompanied in order to choose the path that leads to success instead of wasting one's time on trivialities. In Beni Mellal, I had the opportunity to communicate with women and men who are presidents and members of cooperatives who came from the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region and from all over the Kingdom. In addition, the inauguration of the Traditional Handicraft Fair of Beni Mellal was characterized by the presence of the Secretary of State to the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Social and Solidarity Economy, who breathed new dynamism into the handicraft sector.
Why did your cooperative choose to produce and market traditional handmade products?
Although we live in the era of modernity, we are required to protect and perpetuate our cultural heritage inherited from our ancestors; it is our cultural identity. Handmade artisanal objects retain their authenticity insofar as the machine of modern times distorts the quintessence of these products. Moreover, I am not against the achievements of modernity that have shaken the world, but for me, the true value of an object is found in its authenticity despite the wear and tear of time. Our cultural heritage risks evaporating due to the competition of different producers on the international level. In addition, traditional handicrafts place on a pedestal the specificities of each region where these products are manufactured; we speak for example of the Bziouia djellaba, the Khénifra carpet, the handicrafts of the Zagora and Ouarzazate regions... I have a space where I sell our artisanal products at the sources of Oum Errabia, not far from the city of Khénifra. It is an Edenic region known for its inexhaustible springs and its beautiful nature.
Why did you choose to lead a cooperative despite your young age?
First, I have a Baccalaureate level and I am still very young. In addition, it was my parents who encouraged me to focus on the cooperative. Working in consultation teaches us many things in life. Seven women work in our cooperative and I hope that their number will increase when the marketing of our artisanal products is satisfactory.
