Tartous-Sana
With the participation of 50 craftsmen from Tartous governorate, the activities of the Al-Asala Festival, organized by the Kon Foundation for Social Services, Development and Housing in cooperation with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority and the Federation of Craftsmen, kicked off today in the handicraft market in Tartous.
The festival, which will continue until next Thursday, included an exhibition of handicrafts and handicrafts such as straw dishes, chairs, upholstered quilts, household tools, accessories and clothing made of silk, wool, and others, in addition to traditional folk foods.
Sawsan Mahrez, head of the Kon Foundation, confirmed in a statement to SANA that the festival's goal is to shed light on the products and heritage of fathers and grandfathers and their foods, indicating that the foundation's proceeds will benefit humanitarian cases, and the participants will receive a financial grant.
In turn, director of the Tartous craft market, Nazmiya Ismail, saw that the festival will contribute to introducing the new generation to the heritage of fathers and grandfathers and the most important handicrafts that were flourishing in their time and which constitute a cultural and heritage stock for us.
As for Munther Ramadan, a member of the Executive Office of the Federation of Craftsmen, he explained that the festival provided the opportunity for the participation of many craftsmen, whether they are affiliated with the union or not, provided that they master a profession or a traditional craft, where the visitor sees how the craftsman works directly.
The craftsman Roger Ibrahim, participating in the festival, stated that she uses silk cocoons that the ancestors used to make clothes, but she developed and used them in designing artistic paintings, adding to them a distinct aesthetic value, while the craftswoman Nujoud Houria explained that she relied on seashells to form accessories, tissue boxes and host mirrors. The festival was an opportunity to learn about the various trades and professions in the province.
Hiba Suleiman
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