Artisans Can Make The World A Beautiful Place – OpEd
There are millions of artisans living in different countries who make biodegradable utility and decorative items from the organic material available in nature. They make the world beautiful with their imagination and creativity. The leading museums across the world preserve the priceless art and craft of different countries which cannot be reproduced by the present generations of artisans. Fortunately the artisans still survive in different countries to make a wide range of eco-friendly products.
Today, the world community has no other way but to live close to nature for their own survival, growth and happiness. The artisans can reverse global warming if the world community makes a habit to use biodegradable handicraft items. Those craftsmen make hundreds of utility cum decorative items from bamboo, wood, leaves, clay, metal and grass; many are beautiful pieces of art which have incredibly high value addition. The world desperately needs them and their eco-friendly products which can reduce global warming and make the world livable again for humans, animals and birds.
There are millions of them in developing countries silently contributing to the economy and to the cultural heritage of their countries. The gifted African artisans make exotic baskets from bamboo; they make intricate carvings on wooden utility items and make colorful masks. Ornaments, pottery, dolls, handloom clothes, bead work and paintings etc show Africa has rich cultural traditions. If the African government protects and preserves the skills and the creativity of those gifted artisans, this sector will generate huge employment and foreign currency. Artistry is the soul of a handicraft item and without artistry the handicraft item is trash. The government should induct the right kind of people who know what artistry is; they only can promote the handicrafts.
Like Africa, the artisans of Arab countries make delicate embroidery work, pottery, metal work, wood carving, paintings and decorative items from palm leaves etc. The demand for biodegradable handicrafts is fast growing world over. The government in Arab countries should advise people to use locally made handicrafts which will generate employment and revenue from export. All countries should ban the production and the import of plastic utility items which threaten the classy handicraft traditions.
Millions of weavers in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal make export quality clothes. But the majority of them are thoroughly exploited by the greedy traders and middlemen who pay them an average Rs 300 per day. A large number of weavers have switched over to other professions due to low wages despite their skills and ability to add high value to the products. The quality of handloom clothes has deteriorated in those countries due to loss of skills and enthusiasm among the artisans. Machine made clothes and the use of poor quality yarns has devastated the rich handloom traditions.
Like the traditional weavers, there are millions of Asian artisans who make a wide range of decorative and utility items from bamboo, grass, wood and tree fibers etc. Their contribution to the economy and heritage is more than any other professional of those countries. Unfortunately the artisans get daily wage which is less than 20% of their actual profit margin. Their daily wage varies from Rs 200 to Rs 600 per day which is less than what an unskilled labor gets. The artisans of the Caribbean countries weave beautiful baskets from palm leaf, from reeds and banana leaves; they make handloom clothes, metal sculptures, wood carvings, masks, toys and jewelleries etc. Their ancient culture has taught them how to make such beautiful objects. The artisans of the Latin American countries have been honing their skills long before the Columbus era. They still live those traditions and make magnificent handicrafts. The entry of cheap plastic items and look alike factory made handicrafts have made many handicraft traditions disappear from Latin American countries. But, the glimpses of their rich art and craft continue to survive in some pockets. It is very essential for the government in those countries to evolve a dedicated handicraft policy which will protect and preserve the world famous handicrafts.
The world cannot be strong, rich and beautiful with massive concrete structures, skyscrapers, bridges and buildings. Without the existence of handmade art objects the world will become a dull place to live. It is the human hand which instills life into an object with skills and imagination. No machine has so far instilled life into non living objects. This is high time for the world leaders to protect and preserve the priceless handicrafts.
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